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Date: | Thu Jul 20 16:22:38 2006 |
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Ah, well, as I suspected, there is no convenient definition. But of
course, if we are serious about this, there is no such thing as a
"pure free market"--even theoretically. Because any exchange
presupposes a prior agreement on participation in a civil society
and, more specifically, what constitutes property (you can't exchange
what you don't own). The favorite "Robinson Crusoe" (or is it "Jack
and the Bean Stock"?) example of "free" exchange presumes Crusoe (or
Friday) doesn't just whack the other guy on the head. I.e., that
both Crusoe and Friday bring with them a cultural framework that
recognizes the value of collaboration. The absence of civil society
puts us in the "state of nature"--and whether Hobbes or Locke, it
always reduces to a state of war, not a market!
Fred Carstensen
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