Sam--

You, and anyone else foolhardy enough to follow our conversation here, may find it useful to consult the Templeton Foundation's web site, which posts essays by a wide variety of eminent scholars and statesmen on the following question:  "Does the Free Market corrode moral character?"

The link is:

http://www.templeton.org/market/

There are a number of nuanced and thought provoking essays in answer to the question, including by Michael Novak, Robert Reich, and Michael Walzer.  

I found the contribution by John Gray (professor emeritus, London School of Economics) especially insightful.

Gray concludes his essay:  "The choice is not between abstract models, such as the free market and central planning. In the real world of history, neither has ever existed in the form imagined by its advocates. No, the true choice is between different mixes of markets and regulation, none of which will ever be entirely morally benign in its effects. A sensible mix cannot be achieved by applying an ideal model of how the economy should work. Different mixes will be best in different historical contexts. But one thing is clear: a modern market economy cannot do without a measure of moral corrosion."

Wise words, indeed.

All best,
Kevin
Kevin R. Hardwick, Ph.D.
Department of History
James Madison University

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