This talk opens by doing what is rarely done in political discourse: It provides rigorous definitions of such key concepts as “capitalism,” socialism,” “mixed economy,” and others. On this foundation, it shows that capitalism, the system of individual rights, protects an individual's right to his/her own life and, consequently, to his/her own mind. Because of this, it liberates human brain power to make life-giving advances in every field. Numerous examples are provided from America’s freest period, the late-19th century, the period I dubbed, in my book, The Capitalist Manifesto, the “Inventive Period.” Under full socialism, conversely, a person's life is socialized; it belongs not to him/her but to society. It stands to reason that if an individual's life belongs to the state, so does his/her mind—and the only “thinking” he/she can do is that permitted by the state; all else is banned. Cultural stagnation and collapse are thereby assured. (This talk was given, in academic 2013-14, at Wayne State University and—under the auspices of the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism (CISC) and the Institute for Humane Studies (IHS)— at Clemson University. It is based on material from my book, The Capitalist Manifesto: The Historic, Economic, and Philosophic Case for Laissez-Faire [University Press of America, 2005].)
The event is free of charge. Donations welcome.
Sponsors include:
Automotive Industrial Distributors Ltd (AID)
This event would not be possible without the generous support of :
The Templeton Foundations
AID - Automotive & Industrial Distributors
Andrew Bernstein holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the Graduate School of the City University of New York. He has taught Philosophy at the State University of New York at Purchase, Marist College, Hunter College, the State University of New York at New Paltz, and other New York-area universities. He was selected as “Teacher of the Year” at both SUNY Purchase—and at Marymount College.
