Teaching in the Spirit of Liberty (October 2022)

In this Virtual Reading Group session, we invite teachers in high schools and university, and anyone interested in promoting the spirit of liberty to young people.  

How can we ensure that the free market remains a relevant alternative to the myriad of government interventions and regulations that are often the focus of the diagramming, policy analysis, and calculations that dominate the Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and Introduction to Micro and Macro courses at colleges? 

Adam Smith described free markets as "an obvious and simple system of natural liberty." He did not favor the landowner, the factory owner, or the worker, but rather all of society. He saw, however, self-defeating forces at work, preventing the full operation of the free market and undermining the wealth of all nations. 

Let’s discuss how we can promote Smith's spirit of liberty and our responsibility in our classrooms to inspire student inquiry and attention to becoming free and responsible individuals in our global society. 

Pre-registration is required.  The required readings are available online. Participants who successfully complete ALL sessions will be eligible to receive an Amazon e-gift certificate.

The readings for our session are as follows:

Wealth of Nations IV.ix  (pp. 686 - 688) on Natural Liberty

James Otteson, Markets Natural and Artificial in Adam Smith, in Cosmos and Taxis

F. A. Hayek, The Use of Knowledge in Society, at Econlib