There are only two ways that humans work together: they cooperate with one another, or they coerce one another (or they employ some combination of the two). Once individuals realize this fundamental fact, it changes how they see the world.
By looking for cooperation and coercion in everyday life, individuals can begin to make sense of a wide range of issues that dominate the public debate -- gaining a clearer understanding of everything from the minimum wage to taxes, from gun control to government regulations, from the War on Terror to the War on Drugs to the War on Poverty.
It turns out that coercion is necessary . . . sometimes. Even in a democracy, we all abide by rules, including plenty that we don’t agree with, in the name of getting along.
But in the end, cooperation without question is the key to human happiness and progress. The more we encourage it, the better off we all are.
Antony Davies is an associate professor of economics at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. Dr. Davies' research interests include econometrics, public policy, and consumer behavior. He is the Milton Friedman Distinguished Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education. Davies has published op-eds in newspapers and magazines throughout the country including the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Forbes, and Investors Business Daily. In addition, he is an entrepreneur, inventor, movie producer, weekly podcaster (Words & Numbers), and successful YouTuber (his YouTube videos on economics and statistics have garnered over 3 million views).
This is a presentation of the Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise at Oklahoma State University...
Originally broadcast April 12, 2021...
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