Though I enjoy studying history, economics and libertarian philosophy, few writers are as engaging and pleasant to read as Jeffrey Tucker. Tucker is no slouch when it comes to Austrian economics, history or philosophy but unlike most with his intellectual stature, what fascinates him the most is the endless discoveries and possibilities of human action and observing these actions take place in person. It's his zeal for human creativity and imagination that sparks my interest more than anything. Certainly studying the Austrian Business Cycle Theory and classical liberal thought is paramount to achieving our goal of a free society; but often we focus on the negative and textbook arguments to the point of being beyond what the layman can appreciate-not Jeffrey Tucker. His drive is not so much about desiring a freer market as it is experiencing the market's power despite the obstacles imposed by the state.What if we had the following economic system? This system would shower the globe with free goods day and night, asking nothing and giving nearly everything. Most of what it generated would be free goods, and every living person would have access. Anyone who amassed a private profit would do so only because he or she served others, and the system would require this person to cough up communally owned information: Everyone on the planet would know the reason for anyone’s success.
That system has a name. It’s called the free market.
In fact, the free market is the most misunderstood idea out there, by its detractors and, just as often, by its proponents as well. As for the characterization of the market as a utopia for profiteers, moguls and scamsters, one doubts that people who think this way have ever really tried to make a buck in a competitive system. It’s hard as heck. The whole process is seriously tilted against private gain at public expense.
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Whiskey and Gunpowder
Drew Martin,
Blogger, THL
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