ABSTRACT
Robert A.Heinlein is considered one of the premier science fiction writers of the twentieth century. Along with John W.Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C.Clarke, Theodore Sturgeon, A.E.Van Vogt, L.Sprague de Camp, and Lester del Ray, Heinlein laid the foundations of science fiction as we know it today. In Heinlein’s fiction, one finds many of the issues with which twentiethcentury mainstream American economists have grappled concerning government, money, scarcity, and production. The very plots of major stories and books such as “Life-Line” (1987a), Waldo (1950), Magic, Inc. (1950), The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (1966), and “The Roads Must Roll” (1987a) involve people facing these problems when obtaining their livelihood. In fact, Heinlein coined one of the most celebrated economic expressions of the twentieth century: “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch (TANSTAAFL)” (Heinlein 1966:129).
