What we’re about
Welcome to the Valley Freedom Intellectuals! We've broadened our subject matter to include freedom minded intellectuals and intellectual positions generally, prominently including Austrian economists like Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich Hayek, but branching out a bit from there. The change is intended to attract and appeal to a wider audience while staying firmly in the camp of "friends of liberty". As an example, we might meet to discuss the thought of Lord Acton (of "power corrupts" fame), despite his not focusing primarily on economic thought.
First off, no, you do not have to be an academically-educated economist in order to join this group. Basically we're just a group for those who are sympathetic to the "liberty position", whether that means the Austrian perspective in regards to economics or similar opinions on political, social, and cultural issues. We will frequently focus on a single thinker for a given session to explore their ideas and relate them to the broader liberty position and its intellectual history. But we are first and foremost a social discussion group, interest in each other and our own "take" on these figures, who simply serve as a catalyst for our discussions.
Our primary aim is to provide a non-formal setting, where like-minded people can come together for a fun social outing. If you're looking for food, drinks and lively discussion with other liberty-minded folks, you've come to the right place!
If you are new to any or all of these thinkers or their positions, don't worry, still feel free to come. If you're interested in further information regarding Austrian Economics and the like, we can suggest the following sources:
Video
"Why the Meltdown Should Have Surprised No One", a Peter Schiff lecture
"How Bernanke is Using the Printing Press to Win Friends and Influence People" by Robert Murphy
"Mises and the Austrian School", a Jorg Guido Hulsmann lecture
"Value, Utility, and Price", another Jorg Guido Hulsmann lecture
"Business Cycle Theory" yet another Jorg Guido Hulsmann lecture (yes, he's that good!)
Audio
Human Action, Ludwig von Mises
Man, Economy & State with Power & Market, Murray Rothbard
Short PDF books
Mises and Austrian Economics: A Personal View, Ron Paul
The Austrian Theory of the Trade Cycle and Other Essays, Richard M. Ebeling
Chaos Theory: Two Essays on Market Anarchy, Robert P. Murphy
The Case Against the Fed, Murray N. Rothbard
Books
How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes, a tale by Peter Schiff and Andrew Schiff