tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172766774137902766.post4781564244047378504..comments2023-12-23T09:28:20.869+00:00Comments on The View from Cullingworth: It puzzles me why the left opposes free markets - they argue for most other forms of libertyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172766774137902766.post-6248108065062339182018-02-01T13:22:27.167+00:002018-02-01T13:22:27.167+00:00It's sort of unbelievable that you cannot unde...It's sort of unbelievable that you cannot understand the difference between freedom of choice in sexual orientation and freedom of choice in a market. Unbelievable, as in, I don't believe that you don't see how these could be different. You may as well have made the argument, "leftists claim to like cheese, and will go on and on about the wonders of brie, but when was the last time you've seen a leftist eat a nacho cheese dorito?"<br /><br />But, you made the post, so I'll humor you and explain the difference between brie and doritos.<br /><br />I care about the well-being of humans, and I care about reducing inequality (and lots of other things). I support, for instance, rights to gay marriage because these rights can massively improve quality of life for lots of individuals, without really harming anybody. I also oppose unrestricted free markets when they lead to relatively poor quality of life for lots of individuals.<br /><br />The difference is that I do no believe that the outcome of a free market is just, per se. In other words, my morals and opinions about how society should operate are derived without consideration of markets. Markets are merely a tool to realize my goals.<br /><br />The "free markets are good because of freedom" argument is equivalent to saying "all cheese -- brie and nacho cheese doritos alike -- is good, on principle." I, on the other hand, think that doritos are disgusting, while brie is delicious. Brian Clearynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172766774137902766.post-45692007816181066362018-01-31T16:55:37.503+00:002018-01-31T16:55:37.503+00:00I don't think a thinking and informed modern-d...I don't think a thinking and informed modern-day leftist would really be against free markets in their proper place - which is to say to facilitate trade between people and business.<br /><br />What leftists object to is introducing the market where it arguably doesn't belong, where competition is non-existent (so there is no real market at all), for infrastructure etc.<br /><br />Even the most hardened neoliberals don't leave the national road network up to the market, because it would be a disaster: heavily populated areas would have great roads, and isolated ones would have terrible or non-existent roads. The market cannot provide a universal service under these conditions because of asymmetries in population density. Similarly the Victorians didn't leave it up to the market to build the sewage network, because it simply would never have happened.<br /><br />So as a leftist I would argue that the pragmatic solution is a mixed economy: the market provides trade, with the backing of the infrastructure and legal system of the state, and the state provides the infrastructure upon which the market depends. There is a place for the free market, and a place for central planning, and infrastructure requires central planning.richard yothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00305360536644338195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172766774137902766.post-4635509729393343852018-01-31T13:05:14.018+00:002018-01-31T13:05:14.018+00:00As Thomas Sowell says, if Socialists understood ec...As Thomas Sowell says, if Socialists understood economics, they wouldn't be Socialists.<br /><br />I must take issue with Adam Smith in your quote though: “How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it except the pleasure of seeing it.”<br /><br />There are actually lots of left-learning people who feel no such thing, if the others involved are bankers, company directors, footballers or other 'people not like us'. People who are like us - actors, musicians, writers etc get a free pass.<br /><br />FOr evidence, the jealousy on show of any successful person in the 'out-group' can be seen in any edition of the Guardian. Soarerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06585548776444898953noreply@blogger.com