The Contradictions of Free Market Doctrine: Is There a Solution?

The article considers six standard arguments in favour of an unfettered free market: (1) the freedom to consume; (2) the freedom of the seller; (3) the freedom of the producer; (4) freedom from government interference; (5) lower costs; (6) promotion of democracy. It demonstrates that each of these a...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: McMurtry, John (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: 1997
In: Journal of business ethics
Year: 1997, Volume: 16, Issue: 7, Pages: 645-662
Further subjects:B Blindness
B Standard Argument
B Lower Cost
B Free Market
B Economic Growth
Online Access: Volltext (JSTOR)
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Summary:The article considers six standard arguments in favour of an unfettered free market: (1) the freedom to consume; (2) the freedom of the seller; (3) the freedom of the producer; (4) freedom from government interference; (5) lower costs; (6) promotion of democracy. It demonstrates that each of these arguments turns out to be incoherent on closer examination. The ground of this incoherence it is shown, is the market doctrine's systematic omission of non-business costs and benefits from its analysis, a methodological blindness which can only be overcome by a wider-lensed comprehension of economic value.
ISSN:1573-0697
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of business ethics
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1023/A:1017951827011