Thursday, November 16, 2006
Free to snooze
The great economist and champion of liberty Milton Friedman has died. May he rest in peace.
I have read two reactions today that seem quite fitting.
Ken McCracken quoted Friederich Engels on the passing of Karl Marx: "Today, the greatest living thinker ceased to think." It is a much bigger world today and Milton Friedman may not have been the world's greatest living thinker on his passing, but there are few people for whom such praise would be more defensible.
Then, a friend of mine (who happens to bear a Ph.D. in financial economics from the University of Chicago) wrote "he died in a time when his ideas are treated with respect only in places he used to despise (China, for example). As for the U.S., we're focused on cumulative immaterial deficiencies....."
If you have never read Friedman's classics Free To Choose
MORE: John Hawkins has loads o' Friedman links, including to an interview of Friedman that he did back in 2003.
2 Comments:
By 
, at
Thu Nov 16, 10:05:00 PM:
He was abetter one to get the prize then JIMMY CARTER,YASSIR ARAFAT or KOFFI ANNAN ever were
By , at
Fri Nov 17, 08:51:00 AM:
Milton Friedman is the second most famous graduate from my high school. Carl Sagan is the most famous, although his contributions may not be as great. I don't know who number three would be. Perhaps P. Roy Vagelos, former CEO of Merck. Tigerhawk would probably agree. Or it could be the infamous Janis Karpinski, formerly a Brigadier, demoted to Colonel. I suppose there's still room for me! In any case, Mr. Friedman will be missed.
