Comments on: Vanderbilts ruins http://perassi.org/2009/07/12/vanderbilts-ruins/ English scratches and Italian notes written by Carlo Perassi Sat, 13 Mar 2010 10:12:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Mark Jaquith http://perassi.org/2009/07/12/vanderbilts-ruins/comment-page-1/#comment-5385 Mark Jaquith Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:03:22 +0000 http://perassi.org/?p=1094#comment-5385 In a way, I do. It's harder now to find people who are "out and proud" about their successes and their right to the property they've earned, like the Vanderbilts were. Most people have trended toward some sense of partial public ownership of their assets and talents. I'm not interested in pragmatic views of economics. Pragmatism in this regard leads to attempts to engineer economic outcomes by immorally shackling people. "To achieve X, we need to interfere with people's lives thusly." I come at it from the other side: <em>Laissez-faire</em>, or economic liberalism is the only philosophy that doesn't prevent humans from living as independent rational beings. Let the chips fall where they may. In a way, I do. It’s harder now to find people who are “out and proud” about their successes and their right to the property they’ve earned, like the Vanderbilts were. Most people have trended toward some sense of partial public ownership of their assets and talents.

I’m not interested in pragmatic views of economics. Pragmatism in this regard leads to attempts to engineer economic outcomes by immorally shackling people. “To achieve X, we need to interfere with people’s lives thusly.” I come at it from the other side: Laissez-faire, or economic liberalism is the only philosophy that doesn’t prevent humans from living as independent rational beings. Let the chips fall where they may.

]]>