It was quite refreshing yesterday evening to take a break from the details of public policy and to discuss the broader context and bigger picture in which that policy takes place.
Washington think tanks – and especially the economists in them – spend many of their days arguing whether a particular elasticity is equal to -0.1 or -0.2. The “bigger picture” is often still quite small. How fast can the economy actually grow? Will Donald Trump’s America be “tremendous” and “great again”?
Yesterday evening at AEI we dramatically broadened the lens. Our subject was whether economic liberty is necessary for individuals to lead truly flourishing lives. To discuss this critically important subject, we relied on some of history’s greatest thinkers interpreted by a distinguished panel of experts. We learned from Susan Shell how Kant viewed the relationship between economic liberty and human flourishing. We learned from Yuval Levin how Burke viewed this relationship. From Deirdre McCloskey we learned how Marx – and, especially, how Marxians– misunderstood how economic liberty and human flourishing interact.
Click here for the full video, or watch it below.