Most of us have not been well trained in philosophy and epistemology, so many of von Mises' assertions about the apodictic certainty of praxeological reasoning seem wildly extravagant at first blush. The future is characterized by uncertainty. How can anyone be absolutely certain that "praxeological laws" will continue to hold in every conceivable circumstance?

Instead of trying to convince you, I propose to let you convince yourself. Let's think about the category of human action, and the concepts embedded in it. We'll follow that up with a few simple examples of particular concrete actions.

I think we all understand what an action is. You find yourself in a particular situation. You want to change one or more details of that situation. You visualize the change you desire, you consider the various methods you might employ to effect that change, you choose one particular method, and then you act. You exercise your will, you reach outside yourself, and then you alter reality by interfering with the course of events.

Here's a schematic diagram of the category of action. It shows that some closely related concepts are embedded in this category. This list of embedded concepts is illustrative, and not exhaustive.

The category of human action and some embedded concepts

The diagram indicates that the category of action is a collection of closely related concepts -- the concepts are embedded in the category, and the category encapsulates the concepts.

Please think about yourself for a moment. You know, as a human being, what it means to act. You do things all the time. Isn't it true that every time you act, you yourself become the cause of an effect? That effect is usually -- but not always -- the one you wanted. Similarly, whenever you decide to act, don't you have a goal, or end, in view? And don't you employ the means that are readily at hand to achieve your chosen end?

Let's think about the category of action more closely. Doesn't every action involve some cost -- some effort, at least? And don't you decide whether or not to incur that cost based on your own internal evaluation of the proceeds, or benefit, you will receive in return? Similarly, doesn't each decision to act involve both a choice (of the action you've decided to take) and a rejection (of the alternatives you have decided -- perhaps implicitly -- not to pursue)?

Following in the philosophical footsteps of Immanuel Kant, Ludwig von Mises had the good sense to realize that the category of human action is permanently a part of the human condition. Were men by some as yet incomprehensible process able to dispense with ends and means, cause and effect, costs and benefits, choice and rejection, and all the other concepts embedded in the category of action, they would cease to be human beings. The category of action -- the entire bundle of concepts -- is indeed the indivisible essence of the human condition.

EXERCISE: Here are three simple situations. Please consider each one carefully, and mentally perform the requested analyses. This will broaden and deepen your intellectual understanding of the category of human action.

Situation 1: You are sitting in an easy chair reading a book. The curtains are open, and the lights are off. It's 5:00 pm, and daylight is starting to fade. It's getting too dark to read. What action do you take if you want to keep reading the book? Analyze this action in terms of the concepts listed above. What alternatives might you adopt? Analyze each of those in turn.

Situation 2: You're driving down the street in your Mazda Miata and you feel hungry. Ahead you see a Wendy's on the right, and an Arby's on the left. What action do you take? Analyze this action in terms of the concepts listed above. What alternative actions are possible? Analyze each of those in turn.

Situation 3: You're an aboriginal native crouched in the corner of your thatched hut, and you feel hungry. You've already eaten yesterday's kill. Your spear is by the door. There's a club on the floor by your right hand. You hear a squeak, look down, and see a pack rat. What do you do? What alternative courses of action might you adopt? Analyze each of those using the concepts listed above.

Is there any essential difference between situations 2 and 3 above? If there are any, list them. If there are none, describe the essential parallels between each alternative available to the human actor in these two situations.