February 28, 2012
What About Children?
Say you think that all autonomous people are entitled to make decisions without state interference, even if those decisions are ultimately self-harming. You may then notice that there are a…
Year: 2012
February 28, 2012
Guest Blogging – Jessica Flanigan
I’m pleased to announce that Jessica Flanigan is going to be guest blogging for BHL for the coming month. Jessica works on political philosophy and applied ethics. This year she is a…
February 27, 2012
From Capitalism and Freedom to Free to Choose — Milton Friedman’s defense of liberalism
Capitalism and Freedom was published in 1962 without much fanfare, though it has since stood the test of time. But Free to Choose was an international sensation when it was published in…
February 27, 2012
Economists, Why So Consequentialist?
Economists are frequently (a) subjectivists about value and (b) consequentialists. (a) and (b) are in tension. Brief dialectical summary: Non-Consequentialist Philosopher: What should we do? Typical Economist: Maximize utility! Philosopher:…
February 23, 2012
He Had Moves Like Jagger
While flying yesterday, I began a set of readings for a Liberty Fund conference on Bastiat (thanks Matt!). I haven’t read Bastiat in a serious way since grad school. My…
February 23, 2012
Can a Defense of Liberalism Be Based on Our Ignorance?
Last week in my Constitutional Economics class we discussed Hayek’s The Constitution of Liberty (1960). My favorite chapter in that book is Chapter 2, “The Creative Powers of a Free Civilization.”…