Wow. Ralph Raico really kicked Tom Palmer’s ass in that exchange posted by Lew. Palmer’s “last word” addressed none — NONE — of Ralph’s main points, but only spewed hatred and bile at Lew and Hans Hoppe. He comes off as an intemperate fool, in contrast to Ralph’s terrific scholarship.
I don’t believe Palmer has any formal educational training in economics, so it is not surprising that he resorts to quoting anonymous friends and Mark Skoussen to criticize Hoppe. On the issue of involuntary unemployment that he brings up, it’s worth noting that in Human Action Mises did clearly state that all unemployment is voluntary in a genuinely free market, as Hoppe has written. Palmer and Skoussen may disagree, but they are blowing smoke if they say this is not a Misesian position.
Palmer is pathetic in quoting an anonymous source as calling Hoppe’s book a “logical fallacy” without citing a single example to illustrate his point. Sounds to me like he’s never read a page of the book he is criticizing.
Palmer accuses Hoppe of bad manners, while beginning his critique of Hoppe by calling him a “pig.” I guess his definition of good manners is to always begin a debate by comparing one’s intellectual opponents to swine!
12:17 pm on August 18, 2003
