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Free Market and Freedom Essay

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The fact that free markets are based on a contractual agreement between the buyer and seller with very little government control makes it feasible to consider it to be compatible with individual freedom. (Free Market: 2014) Classical liberals may agree with the objectives of free markets, as they emphasise the importance of individual freedom with limited control of the state. (Hagopian)The counter argument is that when the free market economy is fuelled by profit motives, it sacrifices some ethical and economic issues which can cause severe consequences. (Gerald Hanks: 2014) Modern Liberals argue that although individual freedom is important, coercion can be used as a positive outlook of bettering individuals to the best of their ability. …show more content…

Marangos also further explains that the state is a monopoly of legitimate forces which puts restriction on individual action, despite it correlating to the free market. Consider the financial real-estate crisis in 2008, both had dramatic consequences. Arguably, this could have been due to the limited influence of the government and the want of achieve profits quickly but paying back the lender slowly and with added interest rates. (Gerald Hanks: 2014) This unfortunately caused devasty to millions of people homeless as they were unable to pay the price later given to them after being promised a low interest rate and a lengthier process of paying the banks back. Despite John Stuart Mill claiming that the ‘individual is sovereign’ recklessness and greed of more money can cause government intervention limiting personal freedom. (J.S. Mill: 1991: 14) Modern Liberalism and the free market economy do tend to clash due to the different principles they stand for. J.S. Mill also argued that ‘the liberty of the individual must be thus far limited; he must not make himself a nuisance to other people.’ (J.S. Mill: 1991: 62) This is due to the principles of Modern Liberalism as they look

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