Pat Gunning tells us that for Mises "basic axioms should be based on what is distinct about human beings, as opposed to all of their attributes." He believes that "Other animals "blindly" obey authority and other animals follow crowds. Human beings can deliberate and choose whether the prospective gain from being obedient and following crowds is worth the prospective cost." 

But Mises and his followers do not consult scientific evidence regarding the attributes that make us distinctly human. It is clear from research in the cognitive sciences that animals of quite a range of species are capable of solving a range of problems that involve abstract reasoning. On the other hand, researchers have not yet found another species of animal that can pass memory between generations, that is, create culture. Veblen understood this distinctly human attribute better than most.

Michael Nuwer 




 
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