The Freeman 1972 - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

1972 TO FREE OR FREEZE 507value in your own search and personalgrowth.... Instead of playingthe utterly futile game of tryingto 'reach' others, we can concentrateon getting enough intoour own mentalities and improvingour services to the point whereothers will reach for us."Emphasis on the IndividualIn keeping with his pHgrim'saccent on first principles, Mr. Readdispenses with the "scientific" jargonwhich tries to make politicaleconomy over into a predictivenatural science like Newtonianphysics. To Mr. Read, everythinggoes back to the individual (no twopeople are alike!) whose free willand unforeseeable subjective valuationsput an aberrant factor intoevery economic equation. It is obviousthat economics does not becomea statistical subject untilafter the fact of choice. The wholequestion of choice leads from considerationsof GNP and chatterabout "parameters," whatever theyare, to moral philosophy, with itsconcern for right and wrong. Mr.Read wants to think about goodand evil, not about the technicalquestions that lead to so muchmanipulation of individuals asthough they were pawns.~ in somedictator's game of chess. 'The good, to Mr. Read, is anythingthat adds to the sum ofcreativity. Force must sometimesbe used to keep one man from injuringanother, but this does notalter the truth that what Mr. Readcalls "viewpoints, evaluations, inventions,insights, intuitive flashes,think-of-that's" do not thrive ina world of controls and governmentseizures. When force, goingbeyond the police power, is usedto transfer wealth, it hurts thesum total of creativity by enfeeblingthe injured person and encouraginglaziness in the supposedbeneficiary. Contemplation of thenature of force leads Mr. Readback to the State-as-night-watchmanand away from the modernheresy of the State-as-quarterback.The State's proper businessis protection against such thingsas fraud, the spread of disease,and attack from abroad.Actions Have ConsequencesMr. Read does not believe incrystal balls. But he does believein "ifs." For example, if we persistin our present course of priceand wage fixing, or "incomes policy,"the "if" will lead to· morescarcities. Scarcities under conditionsof continuing price control,will lead to rationing, to be followedin turn by black markets.The fabric of law will suffer, andthe accompanying growth of cynicismwill make for increased violence.To control the violence, thegovernment will have to use