|Peter Boettke|
Israel M. Kirzner was born on February 13, 1930 in London. He is, in my opinion, the greatest scholar of the Austrian School of Economics. As evidence I would point to his The Economic Point of View, and his introductions to the collection, Classics in Austrian Economics. See my review of Classics here. I would also point to his various interpretative essays on the thought of his PhD dissertation supervisor -- Ludwig von Mises -- as well as his essays on Hayek and Menger. But Kirzner is not only a scholar of the Austrian School, but the most significant economic theorist of the modern Austrian school in my opion. As evidence I would point to his development of the entrepreneurial theory of the market process in works such as Competition and Entrepreneurship, but I would also direct readers to his refinements of price theory in Market Theory and the Price System, and his own unique take on the microfoundations of capital and interest theory in Essays on Capital and Interest.
It is my sincere hope that Kirzner will be reconized by the Nobel Prize committee for his development of the entrepreneurial theory of the market economy. Kirzner is simply put, a scholar's scholar, and an economist's economist. But besides his excellence as a scholar and scientist, Kirzner is an outstanding teacher of the logic of economic analysis and its importance for understanding the economic forces at work in our everyday lives. And, Kirzner was a tireless champion of a research program within the economics profession that sought to carve out professional space for those younger than him who wanted to develop the ideas of Menger, Bohm-Bawerk, Mises, and Hayek in a scholarly and scientifically responsible manner.
Finally, it must be said, Kirzner is an example of all that is best in the academic profession and scholarly pursuits --- a true gentleman at all times, Kirzner always put the quest for truth in economic reasoning above all else.
Happy Birthday Professor Kirzner.
My son once asked me, "Who is the best person you know?"
Without even hesitating, I answered, "Israel Kirzner." I don't think any amount of subsequent reflection would change my answer.
Posted by: Gene Callahan | February 16, 2014 at 04:59 AM