Milton Friedman and Liberty

Atlas Sumit 2012 -- 2012 is the centenary of the birth of one of the greatest modern defenders of the free society, Milton Friedman (1912–2006). Bradley provides an overview Friedman's life and ideas, documenting how this technical economist became more libertarian and “radical” through his long, distinguished career.

While broadly libertarian, Friedman attracted voracious criticism from “Mr. Libertarian” Murray Rothbard and members of the Austrian School of economics, not to mention Objectivists critical of utilitarian ethics. Friedman's trenchant logic within the mainstream of thought, however, opened the door for out-of-the-mainstream intellectuals such as Rothbard, Mises, and Hayek to help foster today's libertarian resurgence.

Robert L. Bradley, Jr.  is the CEO & Founder of the Institute for Energy Research. He is the author of seven books, most recently Edison to Enron: Energy Markets and Political Strategies, and blogs at www.masterresource.org.  Bradley's interest has grown from energy regulation to 'sustainable development' issues to political capitalism in theory and practice to the teaching of 'the science of liberty.'

EXPLORE:
Was Milton Friedman Pro-Capitalist? by Roger Donway
"By trying to extricate business executives from the charge of selfishness, Friedman succeeded only in portraying them as amoral functionaries."

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