Thomas Sowell ( 10 of 95 )
The most basic inherent constraint is that neither time nor wisdom are free goods available in unlimited quantity. This means read more
The most basic inherent constraint is that neither time nor wisdom are free goods available in unlimited quantity. This means that in social processes, as in economic processes, it is not only impossible to attain perfection but irrational to seek perfection- or even to seek the "best possible" result in each separate instance.
What is politically defined as economic "planning" is the forcible superseding of other people's plans by government officials.
What is politically defined as economic "planning" is the forcible superseding of other people's plans by government officials.
It is amazing that people who think we cannot afford to pay for doctors, hospitals, and medication somehow think that read more
It is amazing that people who think we cannot afford to pay for doctors, hospitals, and medication somehow think that we can afford to pay for doctors, hospitals, medication and a government bureaucracy to administer it.
Both free speech rights and property rights belong legally to individuals, but their real function is social, to benefit vast read more
Both free speech rights and property rights belong legally to individuals, but their real function is social, to benefit vast numbers of people who do not themselves exercise these rights.
To say that a farm boy knows how to milk a cow is to say that we can send him read more
To say that a farm boy knows how to milk a cow is to say that we can send him out to the barn with an empty pail and expect him to return with milk. To say that a criminologist understands crime is not to say that we can send him out with a grant or a law and expect him to return with a lower crime rate. He is more likely to return with a report on why he has not succeeded yet, and including the inevitable need for more money, a larger staff, more sweeping powers, etc.
Join in the new game that's sweeping the country. It's called "Bureaucracy" Everybody stands in a circle. The first person read more
Join in the new game that's sweeping the country. It's called "Bureaucracy" Everybody stands in a circle. The first person to do anything loses.
Informal relationships are not mere minor interstitial supplements to the major institutions of society. These informal relationships not only include read more
Informal relationships are not mere minor interstitial supplements to the major institutions of society. These informal relationships not only include important decision-making processes, such as the family, but also produce much of the background social capital without which the other major institutions of society could not function nearly as effectively as they do.
It is precisely those things which belong to "the people" which have historically been despoiled- wild creatures, the air, and read more
It is precisely those things which belong to "the people" which have historically been despoiled- wild creatures, the air, and waterways being notable examples. This goes to the heart of why property rights are socially important in the first place. Property rights mean self-interested monitors. No owned creatures are in danger of extinction. No owned forests are in danger of being leveled. No one kills the goose that lays the golden egg when it is his goose.
Civilization is an enormous device for economizing knowledge,.
Civilization is an enormous device for economizing knowledge,.
The march of science and technology does not imply growing intellectual complexity in the lives of most people. It often read more
The march of science and technology does not imply growing intellectual complexity in the lives of most people. It often means the opposite.
