Liberty and Property.pdf - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

Liberty and Property 31utilized by enterprising businessmen for satisfyingsome of his latent wishes, he hurriesto acquire the new products. The commonman is without doubt the main beneficiaryof all the accomplishments of modern scienceand technology.It is true, a man of average intellectualabilities has no chance to rise to the rankof a captain of industry. But the sovereigntythat the market assigns to him in economicaffairs stimulates technologists and promotersto convert to his use all the achievementsof scientific research. Only people whoseintellectual horizon does not extend beyondthe internal organization of the factory andwho do not realize what makes the businessmenrun, fail to notice this fact.The admirers of the Soviet system tellus again and again that freedom is not thesupreme good. It is “not worth having,” ifit implies poverty. To sacrifice it in order toattain wealth for the masses, is in their eyesfully justified. But for a few unruly individualistswho cannot adjust themselves