— From Rothbard at 100: A Tribute and Assessment, Stephan Kinsella and Hans-Hermann Hoppe, eds. (Houston: Papinian Press and Property and Freedom Society, 2026) —
Murray Rothbard, Mises University 1990, and the Power of Living Institutions
Some people you never forget. For me, personally, one of them was Murray Rothbard.
I was first introduced to Rothbard at Mises University in 1990. That experience was, like many decisive moments in my life, the result of many fortunate coincidences. Looking back after more than three decades have passed, it is clear that that single week steered my intellectual, and, in many ways, my personal life onto an entirely new path.
Today, my Rothbard encounter has become something of a “claim to fame” among libertarians. “You actually met Rothbard.” This reaction, amusing as it is, says less about me than it does about Rothbard’s lasting presence. Back in the 1980s, when I started my discovery of libertarian ideas, I used to joke that there were perhaps two libertarians in Switzerland—a friend of mine and myself. Today, there is a Libertarian party, regular summer courses, youth programs, and a growing ecosystem of institutions. It is not unreasonable to say that without Rothbard, many of these developments—directly or indirectly—might not exist.
Three Personalities, One Tradition
I mention three figures together here because they had a special significance for me at Mises University 1990: Ludwig von Mises as the spirit and intellectual reason for the existence of both the Institute and the conference; Murray Rothbard as the spiritus rector who gave that tradition its human and personal form; and Hans Hermann Hoppe, who from that event onward would become a good friend. (The same three who Stephan Kinsella highlights in his chapter in this volume.)
Most strikingly, perhaps, is the clear line that runs from Mises, through Rothbard, to Hoppe—not only intellectually, but also institutionally. All three of them not only fostered a deep commitment to radical clarity but understood that ideas cannot live in books alone, if they ever are to matter.
Mises, if I recall Rothbard’s accounts correctly, was personally rather reserved. Yet he created spaces for intense intellectual exchange, such as the famous Vienna seminars that were followed up by his later seminars in New York.2
Rothbard inherited this tradition but proved to be entirely his own character. In my memories Rothbard was approachable, warm, humorous, and utterly without pretension. And the institutions that exist because of him are the backbone of the libertarian movement, and while some digressed intellectually, groups such as the Property and Freedom Society as well as numerous Mises Institutes around the world are here to stay as monuments and lighthouses for both Mises and Rothbard.
Hoppe, when I met him first at Mises University 1990, was still near the beginning of his career, as were many of the speakers. Approachability was hardly even a topic. Probably because of his growing reputation as Rothbard’s intellectual successor, expectations may have changed. And yet those who meet him are often surprised by his openness and personal accessibility. Hoppe later founded—together with his wife Gülcin—the Property and Freedom Society, inspired by the salons of Mises’s Vienna. The PFS stands as a living complement to Mises University, very much in the spirit of Mises himself.
Why Conferences Matter
My experience at Mises University 1990 convinced me of something I still firmly stand by: conferences like Mises University and PFS, in addition to their innumerable educational benefits, also have the potential to meaningfully alter the trajectory of one’s life.
The chances of forming lifelong, deeply-rooted friendships at such events are probably higher than even in religious circles. Both environments provide a shared worldview and a common sense of purpose. Libertarian gatherings, however, are unique in one important respect: the shared belief system has usually been acquired actively, often against the mainstream, and through personal intellectual struggle. I can personally attest to that, given that two of the most important friendships of my life had their start back at that conference in 1990 (one of them being Hoppe, the other one José Alfredo Guerrero). A remarkably efficient outcome, given we were there for only a handful of days.
Not only did my time at Mises University lead to these friendships—it also resulted in a cascade of subsequent personal undertakings (among them the initiation of the Swiss “Gold Coin Initiative,”3 the creation of the booklet Hoppe Unplugged, which introduced thousands to Hoppe’s thinking, and ultimately the OboxPlanet, my long-term mission to introduce anarcho-capitalist ideas to students and young people through the “backdoor” of an adventure seminar.4
All of this very much follows in Rothbard’s spirit. At Mises University 1990, he emphasized that libertarian ideas cannot remain confined to academia. They must reach the general public, including entrepreneurs and businesspeople. It is a tradition that Hoppe later continued brilliantly with the PFS.
On Loyalty, Praxeology, and Intellectual Resistance
One aspect of Rothbard’s legacy that deserves mention is the remarkable loyalty of those who come to understand his ideas. Rothbardians—and incidentally Misesians and Hoppeans—tend to be unusually steadfast.
Praxeology, once understood, is simply too convincing to be casually abandoned. Its internal coherence, its logical discipline, and its refusal to compromise on first principles provide a sense of intellectual security that is rare. From my personal experience, it brings a certain calm—almost, without stretching the analogy too far, a kind of peace of mind akin to finding the right faith. I can understand that this certainty may strike some as provocative. That said, I not only accept serious criticism of praxeology but welcome it.
Some opposition, especially in academic circles, is also structural. Austrian economics does not require vast armies of statisticians or mathematicians, nor does it generate endless demand for technical modeling. In that sense, it is an uncomfortable doctrine for parts of the academic profession: fewer equations mean fewer specialists, and fewer specialists mean fewer careers for economists.
A similar reaction can be observed in the resistance to Hoppe’s argumentation ethics. As Stephan Kinsella once remarked in a podcast, the argument is so simple and ingenious that it may evoke jealousy.5 If violence cannot be justified without contradiction, one might fear that an entire universe of philosophical disputes suddenly collapses. Many debates, papers, and even dissertations could become unnecessary. Or, as I like to put it: if political violence cannot be justified, what remains for students to debate during their long, wine-soaked nights?6
Rothbard understood this dynamic on all levels He was neither surprised by the resistance nor discouraged by it. Instead, like Mises before him and Hoppe after him, he focused on building institutions and communities strong enough to outlast intellectual fashions
From Objectivism to Anarcho-Capitalism
You might wonder how a Swiss airline pilot, with no libertarian networks anywhere in sight and no internet to consult, could end up at Mises University?
Like many others, my journey began accidentally. While being an exchange student at an Indiana high school in 1981, a family member handed me The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. I was hooked. Throughout the 1980s, I considered myself an Objectivist, complete with the usual arrogance.
Later, in the philosophy department at university, I stumbled upon The Machinery of Freedom by David Friedman (I was only the second student to check it out since the library had acquired it ten years prior). Friedman listed libertarian institutions and publications, including Reason Magazine, to which I subscribed and where I later noticed an advertisement for the 1990 Mises University at Stanford.
I applied—along with my father, a national conservative—and we were accepted, despite not meeting all the reading requirements. I entered Mises University as a curious, questioning Objectivist, but I left one week later a convinced anarcho-capitalist.
My now-friend José Alfredo Guerrero reported a similar experience. He arrived as a mainstream economist and left a committed Rothbardian. He would later introduce Rothbard’s ideas to countless students, businesspeople, and even readers of daily newspapers in the Dominican Republic.
Enduring Impressions from Mises University 1990
Rothbard’s personality was a decisive factor in the lasting impression he made on me. He combined his intellectual brilliance with genuine modesty and openness, even toward beginners. His humor, unforgettable accent, and contagious laugh still ring in my ears. I can hear them even when I read his work.
Hans-Hermann Hoppe was the other major figure for me during that week. He spoke on precisely the topics I had been searching for, with German precision and striking clarity. While Rothbard entertained and enchanted, Hoppe convinced through sheer argumentative efficiency. Both styles, though different, were equally compelling.
The year 1990 was indeed quite special for me. It was the first time Mises University was held after the collapse of real existing communism, which marked the greatest possible confirmation of Mises’s predictions. Rothbard was in visibly high spirits, something still evident in the recordings, especially in his closing lecture, “The Future of Austrian Economics.”7 It remains a jewel of lasting value that places history into a broader perspective.
Pearls upon Pearls—Listen to Rothbard
It is a great gift that Rothbard’s lectures from that year were recorded and are now freely available online. For anyone who never had the privilege of seeing him live, these recordings convey something essential about his uniqueness.8
Jeff Riggenbach, describing Rothbard in his collection of biographies once wrote:
Reading Rothbard, you have the sense that he’s looking down on everything from an immense height, so that he (and thus you) can see all the interconnections and exactly how everything relates to everything else.9
That is precisely the feeling I have—not only when reading Rothbard, but also when listening to his lectures.
For newcomers, I especially recommend the video lecture “The Future of Austrian Economics” and the fourth audio lecture “Government, Business, and American Economic History, Part 2. Together, they provide an entertaining, profound, and sovereign introduction to Rothbard’s universe—his genius, his humor, and his unparalleled intellectual scope.
A Disproportionate Legacy
Rothbard was never famous in the conventional sense. Even today, his name remains unfamiliar to many outside libertarian circles. And yet his impact has been profoundly disproportionate.
Institutions such as the Mises Institute, Mises University, the Property and Freedom Society, and countless libertarian initiatives around the world reflect not only his ideas but his strategic vision and his enduring legacy.
When young libertarians today react with awe to the fact that someone once spoke with Rothbard personally, it reveals something important: Rothbard has acquired a quiet kind of glamour.
I believe he would have appreciated that—and probably chuckled.
- Thomas Jacob studied economics at Zurich University, was a Swissair airline pilot and retired recently from the insurance sector. In 1981 he became a Randian Minarchist and in 1990 a Hoppean Anarchist. He has four children and lives with his wife and the two younger ones in Zurich, Switzerland. [↩]
- Jörg Guido Hülsmann, Mises: The Last Knight of Liberalism (Auburn, Ala.: Mises Institute, 2007), quoting a letter from Fritz Machlup (p. 367):
He is usually too reserved and all buttoned up, so to speak. Someone who meets him for the first time may be repelled by his apparent coldness or some lack of sympathy. People who know him better know that he is fully sympathetic. He is a man unwilling to make compromises, even if such compromise might be to his material advantage. He will stick stubbornly to his convictions. Although I feel this is really a merit it sometimes antagonizes people.
And:
Their common Jewish heritage was certainly an important factor in their unusually cordial rapport—in the 1930s, Mises wrote to Machlup in the tone of true friendship, while in his correspondence with other intellectual associates (Hayek for example) there always remained a hint of formality.
Ibid., p. 477; see also ibid., pp. 175, 514, 732, 802, et pass. [↩]
- See Schweizer Goldmünzen; “Thomas Jacob on the Swiss Gold Franc Association,” Goldmoney (Youtube; Oct. 31, 2012); “Swiss Gold Coin Initiative, update May 2024,” Schweizer Goldmünzen (Youtube; May 29, 2024). [↩]
- Oboxplanet.com; Thomas Jacob, “PFS 313 Bonus OboxPlanet presentation,” Property and Freedom Society (Youtube; Nov 4, 2025 [Sept. 21, 2025]). [↩]
- See Stephan Kinsella, “KOL241 | Dave Smith’s Part of the Problem Show: Libertarian Property Theory,” Kinsella on Liberty Podcast (March 27, 2018), at 30:45. On jealousy of other libertarians of Rothbard, see Tom Woods, “Interview with Hans Hoppe,” Tom Woods Elite Letter, Issue #18 (Summer 2025). [↩]
- See also Hoppe’s discussion of the appeal of Nozick’s “methodologically non-committal” “razzle-dazzle” and always open-ended discussion in his Introduction in this volume, and Hans-Hermann Hoppe, “Murray N. Rothbard and the Ethics of Liberty,” in Murray N. Rothbard, The Ethics of Liberty (New York: New York University Press, 1998). As G.K. Chesterton quipped, “the object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.” The Autobiography of G. K. Chesterton (Sheed & Ward; New York, 1936), ch. X. [↩]
- Murray N. Rothbard, “The Future of Austrian Economics,” concluding lecture, Mises University 1990, Stanford University (July 7–14, 1990; Youtube). [↩]
- Mises Institute, Mises University 1990, Stanford University (July 7–14, 1990). [↩]
- Jeff Riggenbach, “Murray N. Rothbard: Mr. Libertarian,” in The Libertarian Tradition (San Francisco: Cobden Press, 1996), pp. 243–270; see also idem, “Murray N. Rothbard: Mr. Libertarian,” in The Libertarian Tradition podcast (March 2, 2010). [↩]
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