I recently watched “Free To Choose”, a 10 one hour/episode documentary series produced by PBS, hosted by Dr. Milton Friedman, Nobel Laureate in economics. Dr. Friedman is famous for his pro-free markets and minimal government as core principles to his teachings and economic philosophies. The series is Dr. Friedman’s personal views of fundamental subjects of free market & free enterprise, the role of government in a free society, problems with public school education, the welfare state, consumer and work protection & advocacy and inflation, both in the United States and throughout the world.
The major theme of the series is about freedom of the individual in a free society; what does freedom entail, from economic freedom as a consumer to political freedom as a tax paying citizen. The series argues that political freedom—democracy, freedom of speech, pursuit of individual interest and happiness—cannot and will not persist, without a large measure of economic freedom. And that freedom is a unique and precious state of human civilization, not to be taken for granted. Further, Dr. Friedman and his Chicago school of economic thought, champions the free market and minimal government, as the most promising way to produce growth and prosperity for an economy, and hence, offers the best opportunity to promote and sustain individual freedom.
For me, the series raised very basic—but not simple—questions about the economy, freedom and informed citizenship that provides a context to discuss the economic, political and social distress of our day. And I think it doesn’t hurt if more people got engaged in the conversation, given the state of affairs Vietnam is currently dealing with. I’d agrue that it’s through this informed and active citizenship lies the lever of change, not violence or ignorant protest. In addition, throughout this series I understood more of the implications about a ‘philosophical’ difference between wanting everyone in a society to be equal versus creating equal opportunities for people to choose purse their own interest, to the degree they want, can and willing to work towards it.
“Should equality should be defined by choice and opportunity or equity?” is a very interesting question.