Happy 99th Birthday, Milton Friedman!
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GoogleThere's no way to appreciate fully the contributions of Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman (1912-2006), who would have turned 99 years old this weekend, to the growth of libertarian ideas and a free society.
This is the man, after all, who introduced the concept of school
vouchers, documented the role of government monopolies on money in
creating inflation, provided the intellectual arguments that ended
the military draft in America, co-founded the Mont Pelerin Society,
and so much more. In popular books such as
Capitalism and Freedom and
Free to Choose, written with his wife and longtime
collaborator Rose, he masterfully drew a through-line between
economic freedom and political and cultural freedom.
Yet his ultimate contribution to freedom and liberty is found less
in any of the specific argument he made and more in the ways he
made them. Friedman provided an all-too-rare example of a public
intellectual who was scrupulously honest, forthright, and fair in
every debate he entered. Whether he was duking it out with fellow
Nobel Prize winners and other high-profile economists or making the
case for the morality of capitalism with TV hosts such as
Phil Donahue and angry
students, he always argued in good faith, admitted when he was
wrong, and enlarged the circle of debate.
Long after some of his technical points and social insights have
been superseded, that commitment to relentless inquiry and search
for truth wherever it takes us will survive.
Milton Friedman gave us something much better than revealed truth: He showed us the process by which we might continue to indefinitely learn about our world and the human condition. In this sense, the Friedman Century is far from over; indeed, it's just getting started.
Written and narrated by Nick Gillespie. Produced and edited by Jim Epstein, with help from Jack Gillespie.
About 2.30 minutes.
For Reason's coverage of and interviews with Milton Friedman over the years, go here now.
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