Dr. North poses a very good question: "What changed in 1800?" He is referring to the question that no economist has quite answered, that is how did we move from a world Julius Caesar would recognize in 1800 to a world no one could foresee today? Read his article to get oriented, and then here is my answer.
By luck of the draw, or the Grace of God, vast swathes of earth territory came under the aegis of people who had very little control. Anarchy abounded. Spontaneous order and freedom broke out everywhere, with stunning advancements in all fields. North has Northern Europe as the epicenter, but it is not exclusive to white protestants. Hong Kong is and always will be Chinese, and it is the last remaining edition of this freedom.
China is experiencing a similar event, where the ration of government to people is probably the lowest on planet earth. Yes China can effect some world-class crackdowns, in cities, and does occasionally, but China has no where near the control over its people that USA and western countries do over theirs.
Relative freedom is what happened in 1800, and that is our way out of this economic disaster. Just as Christianity receded to a few Irish monasteries in the dark ages, so freedom has receded to a few small places today.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Teacher! Teacher! I Know! I Know!
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