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American Compassion

by George Pearson March 1, 1996

We have had destitute people since the early years of the country, and their numbers have grown as the population has grown. We have always had people whose lives were threatened or even ruined by drugs and alcohol abuse. We have always had the homeless. We have always had the prostitutes. ... [click for more]

Optimism and Concern in Contemporary America

by Richard M. Ebeling January 1, 1996

I was about fifteen years old, in the mid-1960s, when I became interested in free-market, libertarian ideas. I was initially influenced by Henry Hazlitt, who at that time still had a weekly column in Newsweek . I found his book Economics in One Lesson in a used bookstore, and after reading it, I decided that I wanted ... [click for more]

A Rembrandt among Commentators

by Michael Prowse November 1, 1995

The art of economics consists in looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy; it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups. This is such a wise saying that it might have been coined by Adam Smith or one of the great ... [click for more]

Have We Abandoned Our Principles?

by Robert Chamberlain July 1, 1995

America was founded upon commonly held principles of right and wrong. Our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution recognize these principles and enumerate several of them. Among these principles is the acknowledgment that we, as individuals, have certain unalienable rights — namely the rights to life, liberty, and the ... [click for more]

The Future of Freedom Retrospect and Prospects, Part 3

by Richard M. Ebeling January 1, 1995

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Jacob Hornberger and I first met in Dallas, Texas, in 1984. I had recently taken a position as an assistant professor of economics at the University of Dallas. He was practicing law. Acting on the advice of one of my colleagues in the economics department, Jacob asked me if I ... [click for more]

The Future of Freedom-Retrospect and Prospects, Part 2

by Richard M. Ebeling December 1, 1994

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 In spite of the demise of totalitarian collectivism, the world is still enveloped by the ideology of socialism. When Ludwig von Mises began his treatise Socialism in 1922 with the observation: "Socialism is the watchword of the day. The socialist ... [click for more]

The Future of Freedom-Retrospect and Prospects, Part 1

by Richard M. Ebeling November 1, 1994

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 With the approaching end of 1994, The Future of Freedom Foundation is celebrating its fifth anniversary. For a half-decade, Jacob Hornberger and I, and the other authors who have contributed essays for Freedom Daily, have attempted to make the ethical and economic case for individual liberty and the ... [click for more]

Social Conflict, Self-Determination, and the Boundaries of the State

by Richard M. Ebeling September 1, 1994

For the advocate of classical or market liberalism, the depoliticization of economic life is considered the primary avenue for the diminishment of social and cultural tensions in society. The removal of the state from all involvement in market activities, other than as protector of life and property and legal ... [click for more]

Nationalism: Its Nature and Consequences

by Richard M. Ebeling June 1, 1994

In the 19th century, many classical liberals believed that the ideas of "national identity" and "nationalism" were false scents that were likely to lead the world away from liberty and towards a continuation of political tyranny and international conflict. For example, William E. H. Lecky, in his study Democracy and Liberty (1896), argued that "the idea and ... [click for more]

The Standard of Liberty

by Rodney D. Lewis March 1, 1994

The concept of a standard is as old as man himself. It has been expressed in man's earliest writings. Moses understood its principles; so did the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, the ancient dynasties of China and Japan — in every society, there have been those who have understood its principles. Standards are so powerful that adherence to their principles ... [click for more]

The Importance of Tools

by Karl Hess April 1, 1993

It is the pompous delusion of politicians that they significantly improve the way the world works. Nonsense. Through taxation, rules, regulations, and war, politicians historically have destroyed people's lives and obstructed their economic progress. The real work of the world — the way we live our daily lives — ... [click for more]

The Great Multiplier

by Henry Grady Weaver April 1, 1993

Through foresight, imagination, and individual initiative, man develops tools and facilities which expand his efforts and enable him to produce things which would not otherwise be possible. This is an outstanding difference between man and animal, just as it is an outstanding difference between civilization and barbarism. Progress toward better living would never have been possible, except through the development ... [click for more]