Francis Fukuyama: “There have been three essential justifications for liberal societies that have been put forward over the centuries. The first is a pragmatic rationale: liberalism is a way of regulating violence and allowing diverse populations to live peacefully with one another. The second is moral: liberalism protects basic human dignity, and in particular human autonomy—the ability of each individual to make choices. The final justification is economic: liberalism promotes economic growth and all the good things that come from growth, by protecting property rights and the freedom to transact.”
Adrian Wooldridge: “Leaders and would-be leaders can make sure that they carve out time for serious reading or calm reflection: Even when he was running Microsoft Corp. from day-to-day, Bill Gates would retreat to an isolated cottage for a week and meditate on a big subject. Parents can prepare their children for the world by encouraging them to read great literature or, better still, commit some of it to memory. But individual action is unlikely ever to be enough given the size of the forces eroding the store of leadership qualities. We need to do more to protect society from the digital deluge — perhaps following Finland and requiring schools to teach children about fake news. We also need to add a little more old-fashioned conservatism to our educational systems — emphasizing the importance of duty and high culture as well as the claims of meritocracy, on the one hand, and social justice, on the other.”
Ninos Malek: “We often hear how wonderful certain countries are because they provide “free healthcare” or “free education.” Many will also say “I got it for free” because they didn’t pay with money. The error lies in not understanding the difference between price and cost. For example, people usually say, “The Starbucks latte cost me five dollars” or, “The movie ticket cost me fifteen dollars.” Cost in economics means what you give up or sacrifice. In these examples, the prices were $5 and $15. But the cost of the latte was perhaps the sandwich one could have purchased instead with that same $5, and the cost of the movie was perhaps the three lattes one could have purchased instead with that same $15…There’s a difference between zero price and zero cost. There could be a zero price ($0), but there’s never a zero cost. Therefore, don’t swear anymore by using the “F” word!”