Paternalism is a fool’s errand. The world is full of parents who wish to alter what they perceive to be their children’s suboptimal choices: do this, marry him, don’t talk to her. And it is full of states who want to compel people to do similar things: make steel, grow wheat, speak Marathi.
Liberalism is an exercise in gentleness. The world should be gentler with its people, and their suboptimal choices, and their strange preferences. We take as granted, in the modern economy, that there are countless firms, and that these firms will experiment with new and inventive ways to organise themselves and use resources, that they will see the whole range of possibilities for substitution and innovation and act boldly.
Liberalism is an exercise in gentleness. The world should be gentler with its people, and their suboptimal choices, and their strange preferences. We take as granted, in the modern economy, that there are countless firms, and that these firms will experiment with new and inventive ways to organise themselves and use resources, that they will see the whole range of possibilities for substitution and innovation and act boldly.
We take as granted that people have varied, multidimensional preference sets, and that everyone has a different equilibrium.
And we say that we love that for them, and that we love their ability to make choices, and we love their different equilibriums and love their varied preferences, as we love them.
And we say that we love that for them, and that we love their ability to make choices, and we love their different equilibriums and love their varied preferences, as we love them.