Why Liberty Benefits All
Book Review
March 30, 2009
Book Review by Mark Scheel
Originally Posted at Amazon.com
Written in the libertarian tradition of Hayek's The Road to Serfdom and Ringer's Restoring the American Dream, Louis E. Carabini's “Inclined to Liberty” is a concise and discerning examination, both politically and economically, of what it means to prefer freedom to central dictate. The work was inspired by a 2004 dinner party in Carabini's home during which an academic discussion ensued among the guests involving such political cliches as, "No one should be allowed to inherit wealth," and "The salaries of company executives are too high." The implication, of course, was that the State should intervene to balance the scales of "social justice." But upon close scrutiny, what exactly does that entail and what are the oftentimes unforeseen consequences as regards the human spirit? Bringing those ramifications clearly to light in an entertaining and accessible style, while citing facts and historical examples, is Carabini's self-appointed mission.
He begins with an analysis of the human proclivity toward "blame and resentment" and how those emotions are politically manipulated. He asks the questions, does societal inequality necessarily imply victims and villains, and why do we tend to divide ourselves into "them versus us" dichotomies? Carabini then warns of the pitfalls inherent in a strict system of democracy and reintroduces the old concept of "the tragedy of the commons." A consideration is offered as to how wealth is not a static monopoly but rather begets more wealth for all. A clarification is made as to what really constitutes money and how money does not equate with "prosperity." Carabini then berates the news media today for misleading us with skewed reportage and deconstructs the phenomenon of so-called "earnings gaps," explaining why any quest for "economic equality" is not only futile but harmful to the whole of society. As clearly demonstrated, redistribution of earnings and wealth quickly becomes a bane to a healthy economy and everyone suffers the worse for it.
A good deal of space is devoted to a careful exploration of the concepts of jobs, labor and the division of labor and the consequences and stifling effects of intrusive regulation as well as a critique of John Rawls' propositions regarding undeserved advantages in his classic book A Theory of Justice. This discussion leads to a revelation of the flawed reasoning of Karl Marx and his labor theory of value (as opposed to the subjective theory of value) and how unwittingly this philosophy underlies much of today's tragic experiments in social engineering. Carabini ends, however, on an upbeat assessment of where humanity may be headed in the future with the ascendency of technology undercutting the dominance of the nation-state and seeing its influence and control gradually erode away. He concludes, "Those who claim to be a better master of a life not theirs forfeit a part of their own lives, along with a portion of the lives of those who, wittingly or unwittingly, accept such claims as true," and "Liberty is a state of mind that does not require the indulgence of others."
If there is any weakness in Carabini's exposition, it might be found in Chapter 30 titled "Spontaneous Order vs Intelligent Design." Here, while the point he is making regarding natural order is valid, his employment of the term "intelligent design" is misleading connotatively because, properly understood and distinguished from "Biblical creationism," that concept more nearly resembles Adam Smith's "invisible hand" than does Darwin's "principle of natural selection." Nevertheless, the fault is a minor one and in no way dulls the main thrust of his reasoning. Additionally, some might object to the brevity of some chapters, not because the subject is given short shrift but rather because the treatment is so well done that one wants more.
As Carabini himself observes in the penultimate chapter, he has within these pages spelled out convincingly for the reader the economic benefits of liberty with an emphasis on utility and prosperity. Nevertheless, he admits in the first chapter that inclined to liberty and those inclined to mastery-and it is rare that exposure to additional evidence and facts sways anyone to switch camps. Yet a book such as this makes excellent reading for those of either camp by dispelling a good many misconceptions planted by a feckless media and conniving politicians, thereby providing even the liberty doubters with an accurate and faithful representation of the vision they themselves claim to oppose.
Mark Scheel is a poet, author, and former editor living in Mission, Kansas. His book, A Backward View: Stories & Poems, won the J. Donald Coffin Memorial Book Award from the Kansas Authors Club.
|
|
Action Center
Recent News
September 2, 2010
FactCheck.org says White House and Democrats are distorting Social Security issue: "The president claims Republican leaders are as eager to 'privatize' Social Security as they are to repeal his health care law. That's not true."
Read Full Story
August 22, 2010
According to sources who watch the inner workings of the federal government, a smackdown of Barack Obama by the U.S. Supreme Court may be inevitable.
Read Full Story
August 20, 2010
Many Washington insiders predict that any 2011 debate on Social Security will focus on the issues of benefit cuts and tax increases. In addition to raising the retirement age, which is now set to reach age 67 in 2027, specific cuts under consideration include lowering benefits and trimming annual cost-of-living increases.
Read Full Story
August 18, 2010
The private lives of young people are now so well documented on the internet that many will have to change their names on reaching adulthood, Google’s CEO has claimed.
Read Full Story
August 16, 2010
President Obama claimed that Republican leaders are pushing to make "privatizing Social Security a key part of their legislative agenda" should they regain control of the House and Senate. He said this is "right up there on their to-do list with repealing" parts of the new health care law. FactCheck.org finds the president’s claim to be mostly false.
Read Full Story
August 16, 2010
Older workers, who typically fared better than their younger counterparts in recessions, have been hit just as hard by layoffs this time around. As a result, the fraction of people 65 or older who are working has leveled off after a long period of growth. As of July, it stood at 15.9%, down from 16.3% in mid-2008.
Read Full Story
Read All Recent News
| Please Sign up for 'Recent News' Updates |
|
|
Senior Resource Center
Social Networks
|
