In eighteenth and nineteenth century Europe, progress in ideas and ethics encouraged greater collaboration and competition, creating new opportunities for ordinary people and fostering a great enrichment that benefited all levels of society. Today a new economic liberation is underway, as the egalitarian effects of technology spread across the world, combating poverty and other social ills, and dramatically improving individual wealth and well-beinga trend vulnerable to coercive powers that could damage productivity and liberty.
If We Keep Our Ethical Wits, We Can See over into a Great Enrichment
By Art Carden, Deirdre N. McCloskey
This
article
appeared in
the Winter 2015/16 issue of The Independent Review.
Other Independent Review articles by Art Carden | |
Spring 2022 | The Danger of Deplorable Reactions: W. H. Hutt on Liberalism, Populism, and the Constitutional Political Economy of Racism |
Summer 2017 | Well Never Be Royals, but That Doesnt Matter |
Winter 2014/15 | Bootleggers and Baptists: How Economic Forces and Moral Persuasion Interact to Shape Regulatory Politics |