It’s an important point — but also a frustrating one. You can make people better with better societies with rules that make them — as David says — accountable. And you can’t go the other way: trying to improve society by making better people is always disastrous. Capitalism makes societies better, and that makes people better. It lets people choose to be better. This is the exact opposite of what most believe and I find it very difficult to persuade people.
I think you can make a good case — and Dinesh DeSouza did — that racial discrimination and slavery made racial animus much worse. It’s the flip side of David’s example. And again, I find most people just reject the notion out of hand.
MG
May 27 2012 at 9:38am
In this context, I had to relive Milton Friedman’s helping a youg woman see the validity of a similar point…even if in a slightly devilish way: “I am on your side…even of you are not.”
READER COMMENTS
Ken B
May 26 2012 at 12:34am
It’s an important point — but also a frustrating one. You can make people better with better societies with rules that make them — as David says — accountable. And you can’t go the other way: trying to improve society by making better people is always disastrous. Capitalism makes societies better, and that makes people better. It lets people choose to be better. This is the exact opposite of what most believe and I find it very difficult to persuade people.
I think you can make a good case — and Dinesh DeSouza did — that racial discrimination and slavery made racial animus much worse. It’s the flip side of David’s example. And again, I find most people just reject the notion out of hand.
MG
May 27 2012 at 9:38am
In this context, I had to relive Milton Friedman’s helping a youg woman see the validity of a similar point…even if in a slightly devilish way: “I am on your side…even of you are not.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsIpQ7YguGE
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