On page 32 of Capitalism and Freedom, Friedman says that "Every act of government intervention limits the areas of individual freedom directly and threatens the preservation of freedom indirectly..." Since we didn't get to cover this today in class, I was curious to see what everyone thought of this quote. Would we be better off without government? Where would we be without government?
- Amanda Alcamo
I think that in an ideal world, people could very well be better off without a government. However, our world is not ideal. For the world we live in, I think it is best that we have a just government; a government that protects the rights and freedoms of it's people, not a government that defines them as they see fit. It is a lot like the example of social security we had in class on friday. I feel like it was a good idea at the time because it forced american citizens to do what they should have already been doing in the first place. That is setting aside money for their retirement. Now, however, it is someone obsolete because people are willing to do of their own accord.
ReplyDeleteI think that the government, even though it does limit some of our freedoms is necessary in our world. Our society needs guidelines and structure. Even though it would be nice to think that we could be self-sufficient and function effectively without the government I do not think that it is practical. Yes the government does limit our ability to be completely free but it also provides us with a “backbone” of support. We discussed in class how there are a lot of factors that affect our freedom such as social pressures, and wealth. While the government does not directly affect either of those factors, it plays a role in determining them. For example the government decides what is socially correct and what is not, by imposing laws and regulations, stating what we are allowed to do and what we cannot. The government is not responsible for making a person wealthy or not, but it is involves itself in our wealth in the form of taxes, social security, etc. In these ways the government is not technically limiting our freedom, but it is imposing some necessary structure. I agree with Freidman’s quote that the government does limit our freedom, but I also agree with Colin that we need the role of the government in the world we live in today.
DeleteI think Friedman's statement is unreasonably broad. It is simply false that "every" intervention is a limitation of individual freedom. What about civil rights legislation? That actually extended the freedoms of an entire group of people whose freedoms had hitherto limited. Once we see that individual cases need to be considered uniquely, the question changed significantly. Because we then need to start thinking about the ways that government may actually extend freedoms.
ReplyDeleteI believe that without a government, there would be chaos. Without laws and rules for people to follow, everyone would act as they please whether it be evil or not. This would lead to an unsafe and disorganized world. Friedman uses the term "paternalistic" to describe the government. I would agree with this term because the government does, in some way, act as a "parent" to the people. It provides us with rules that we have to follow and if we fail to follow them, we are punished. An extreme form of punishment, being put in jail, is similar to an adult version of a "time-out". These rules are necessary to remove the person committing the crimes from society in order to protect other people. Without these rules, there would be people constantly committing crimes and not being punished for them, allowing them to commit more crimes, leaving the country unsafe. Without government, the country would be too chaotic for people to live safely in.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Professor Vaught that this is a very broad statement. While it may be true that government intervention limits some of our freedoms they are all designed to be done within reason. Government intervention is meant as a means of control but I don’t think they go as far to limit or threaten our freedom. I think that without government we would have a very chaotic society. Government helps to keep people in check so that they are not simply doing what they want with no regard to the ramifications. Aside from the obvious chaos, it would be a dangerous world to live in. Government helps to ensure our safety and freedom within their policies.
ReplyDeleteAs April mentioned above, "government intervention is meant as a means of control..." But does that actually mean that government intervention IS a means of control? As we all know, everything is easier said than done, and all concepts work out better in theory. So why would the concept of the government be any different? Just because the government says it will keep the people's best interests in mind, doesn't mean that it actually will. Now, I don't disagree with Professor Vaught's statement; the government definitely has done great things to promote its people's freedom in the past, and they do what they can to preserve our rights. However, I do believe that if those within positions of power have personal needs that conflict with the needs of the people's, they will undoubtedly serve themselves first (looking at things from a Machiavellian perspective). So when the government describes its intervention as a "means of control," one has to consider exactly what it is that they are trying to control...the dangers of us being set loose against ourselves? Or the dangers of us being set loose against them?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Elizabeth on this topic. I really believe that if there is no government at all, then chaos would ensue. Now, I'm all for less government in real life, but we still need some direction and assistance to guide us in our lives. I think the novel, Lord of the Flies, provides a great example of this, even if the characters are teenagers. Even though they are teens, no structure is set and chaos does ensue. Elizabeth says that the world would be too chaotic to live in safely; Lord of the Flies is exactly that way. It is not chaotic enough that people are dying, but it is chaotic enough where all of the characters are in danger every minute.
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