David D. Friedman

American economist, physicist, legal scholar, and libertarian theorist · United States · On the map · Academics · Born 1945 · age 81

David Director Friedman is an American economist, physicist, and legal scholar. He is known for his textbook writings on microeconomics and the libertarian theory of anarcho-capitalism, which is the subject of his most popular book, The Machinery of Freedom.

David D. Friedman is read about 194 times a day, in 30 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 10 November 2026

The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 112 days, one point a day.

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A life in dates

2010“The assumption describes our actions, not our thoughts. If you had to understand something intellectually in order to do it, none of us would be able to walk.”In their wordsAs cited in Ronald J. Baker (2010) Implementing Value Pricing: A Revolutionary Business Model for Professional Firms. p. 122Read the whole statement

1998“David D. Friedman is the one of the most important living anarcho-capitalist philosophers.”In their wordsIn The Pragmatist. (1998), Vol.14, p. 77Read the whole statement

1986“The tendency to be rational is the consistent and hence predictable element in human behavior. (p.4)”In their wordsPrice Theory: An Intermediate Text, 1986Read the whole statement

1973“The direct use of physical force is so poor a solution to the problem of limited resources that it is commonly employed only by small children and great nations. (p.4)”In their wordsThe Machinery of Freedom, 1973Read the whole statement

“Perhaps the best way to see why anarcho-capitalism would be much more peaceful than our present system is by analogy.”In their wordsThe Machinery of Freedom, 1973Read the whole statement

“I predict that, if anarcho-capitalist institutions appeared in this country tomorrow, heroin would be legal in New York and illegal in most other places. (p.128)”In their wordsThe Machinery of Freedom, 1973Read the whole statement

1945Born12 February 1945

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David D. Friedman

3 statements, newest first

Legal rules are to be judged by the structure of incentives they establish and the consequences of people altering their behavior in response to those incentives (p.11)
2001 · Law's Order: What Economics Has to Do With Law and Why It Matters, 2001, Own words
Economics is that way of understanding behavior that starts from the assumption that people have objectives and tend to choose the correct way to achieve them.
1986 · Price Theory: An Intermediate Text, 1986, Own words
In the ideal socialist state, power will not attract power freaks. People who make decisions will show no slightest bias towards their own interests.
1973 · The Machinery of Freedom, 1973, Own words

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About this person

Described by Walter Block as a "free-market anarchist" theorist, Friedman has also authored several other books and articles, including Price Theory: An Intermediate Text (1986), Law's Order: What Economics Has to Do with Law and Why It Matters (2000), Hidden Order: The Economics of Everyday Life (1996), and Future Imperfect (2008).

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United States