This issue of The Freeman examines the necessity of sound economic reasoning, warning against utopian visions that ignore scarcity, incentives, and the limits of political power. It critiques the belief that government can engineer prosperity, explains how decentralized decision-making fuels innovation, and highlights education’s role in cultivating independent thought. Additional essays explore the moral foundations of voluntary exchange, the dangers of egalitarian coercion, and the practical failures of intervention in labor and commodity markets. Book reviews consider works on constitutional history, economic theory, and the philosophical defense of freedom.
