“They did not suffer shipwreck because the entrepreneurs were not public-spirited, as the socialist-etatistic legend has it. They were bound to fail because the economic organization based upon division of labour and private property in the means of production can function only so long as price-determination in the market is free.”

Austrian economist and social theorist of the early-to-mid 20th century, Ludwig von Mises is best known for his rigorous defense of classical liberalism and free-market economics. His work in praxeology—an a priori method of social science—shaped modern libertarian thought, while his critiques of socialism and central planning remain foundational in economic theory.