Freeman

ARTICLE

Book Review: When We Are Free Edited by Lawrence W. Reed and Dale M. Haywood

MARCH 01, 1982 by BRIAN SUMMERS

(Northwood Institute Press, Midland, Michigan 48640), 1981 • 403 pages • $15.50 paperback

Textbooks supporting the freedom philosophy are few and far between. Thus this book of readings, edited by two economics professors at the Northwood Institute, is a welcome addition to the literature of freedom.

The readings consist of sixty essays, many of which first appeared in The Freeman. Leading off are several articles on property and the nature of man. Frank Chodorov examines the source of rights. Paul Poirot establishes the connection between property rights and human rights. And Roger Williams makes the case for treating all people as unique individuals.

On this individualistic basis the role of government is examined, and different systems of economic organization are compared. Turning to history, Professor Reed describes the fall of Rome and draws some worrisome modern parallels. Bettina Greaves shows how capitalism lib erated women, while Eric Brodin tells why he liberated himself from socialist Sweden.

Ben Regge, Hans Sennholz, and Ludwig von Mises describe the moral underpinnings of the free economy. Several authors dispel myths of capitalism and examine contemporary issues: immigration, energy, medical care, and foreign policy. Finally, the essays conclude with Leonard Read’s wise counsel on the methods for promoting liberty.

This review can only hint at the range of topics covered. Such a wide selection, and careful organization, makes this an excellent choice as a primary text or for supplemental reading. We hope this book will see wide use in our nation’s high schools and colleges.

ASSOCIATED ISSUE

March 1982

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May 2013

From natural systems to human systems, we start to notice patterns in nature that are products of good flow. Adrian Bejan discusses this crucial insight--and how it makes freedom even more needful--in this month's interview. Zachary Caceres looks at what emergence can tell us about the universe, the market, the heart, and the sacred; Mike Reid recounts the tragedies produced when the State tries to impose its order on people who have already developed their own; Gary Galles channels Leonard Read: the State is a clenched fist, he says, so it cannot create; Brad Taylor says democracy might just be another imposed order in some situations; Karl Borden wonders whether an individual's right to be left alone can be part of the order of things; and much, much more.Download Free PDF

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