Fallacies Concerning Free Enterprise

About the Book

Many fallacies are buried deep in the consciousness of every nation. Some are passed down through successive generations as part of the collective wisdom of the tribe. Some are self-serving pretences. Most are difficult to identify because of the high degree of specialization today in all forms of employment. There is no time, and perhaps no inclination, to become involved in controversial discussions outside our own areas of expertise.

This book presents the case that fallacies in economic, social and political convictions are indeed relevant to all areas of expertise. They explain or at least indicate the causes of failure in so many well-meaning approaches to helping our fellow men and women. This book summarizes the commonly held beliefs under each chapter heading, and the reasons for questioning their validity.

Everyone should read this book. It identifies human weaknesses and replaces them with human strengths.

Do not discard all of your long-held attitudes without careful consideration, but submit them to review at every convenient opportunity. That is the primary message of this book to all men and women of good will.

About the Author

For the first five years of my adult life I served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in the North Atlantic, the English Channel and the Far East.

After WWII I spent three years at the London School of Economics. I studied economics pure and applied, specializing in International Relations. The full name of the LSE is the London School of Economics and Political Science. That gives the impression that economics and politics are complementary subjects, which was the firm belief of the founders of the school.

For the rest of my working life I was employed by private enterprise corporations and served governments in various parts of the world. I came to the conclusion that economics and politics are not necessarily complementary subjects. Frequently they are incompatible.

Politicians all over the world adjust economic theory to suit their own purposes, without consulting each other. They are so anxious to redistribute wealth that they do not always wait until it has been created. That ameliorates some forms of social stress and exacerbates others. It causes misunderstandings, and in some cases conflict between social classes, political parties, income groups, demographic regions and age levels. International disputes arise which inhibit progress towards globalization.

My book attempts to identify differences of opinion which appear to have no rational justification. I try to resolve the main fallacies in the public mind today, or at least to demonstrate the fact that they exist.

Of course my book will provide no social benefit unless it is read with an open mind.

Other Trafford titles by the same author:
English Speaking People and Globalization