Study Guide to Man, Economy, and State with Power and Market

232 Study Guide to Man, Economy, and State with Power and Market
4. The Morality of Human Nature
Another straw man critique assumes that the market would
work only if men were angels. On the contrary, regardless of
one’s views concerning human nature, the market—which
penalizes evil and rewards good—is far preferable to the government,
which promotes those individuals most adept at
wielding coercion.
5. The Impossibility of Equality
Considering the diversity of human skills and their different
locations in time and space, “equality” is an obviously nonsensical
goal. Beyond that, it is not clear why intellectuals, who
ostensibly favor the autonomy and full development of the individual,
would at the same time champion equality.
6. The Problem of Security
The alleged tradeoff between freedom and security is a false
one. The future is uncertain and hence absolute security is
impossible. However, the free market provides security through
savings, entrepreneurship, insurance, and charity.
7. Alleged Joys of the Society of Status
It is a myth that medieval craftsmen and peasants were perfectly
happy, until modern capitalism “alienated” them from
their labor. The status society forced workers to remain in very
specific occupations, regardless of aptitude or interest. In any
event, a return to the institutions of the Middle Ages would
require the starvation of a large portion of the world’s present
population.