Friday, March 10, 2017

Chomsky and Chapman on Friedman



Dr. Chomsky:

I have no recollection of being invited by PBS.  It’s easy to find credible opponents.  E.g., Robin Hahnel.  One easy opponent is Friedman himself. He had a marvelous opportunity to put his ideas in practice in Chile in 1973, almost perfect conditions, and he and his associates were repeatedly on the scene to praise the achievements, which practically tanked the economy within five years, requiring the state to intervene to take over more of the economy than under Allende – often called “the Chilean road to socialism”.

You seem to have some strange conception of anarchosyndicalism, unfamiliar to me.

There isn’t any reason to believe that there is necessarily accumulation of private power, as there would be under the radically anti-libertarian system of anarchocapitalism – but as I mentioned, it’s irrelevant


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Chapman:

I know Dr. Friedman claimed that he was constantly challenging the autocrat Pinochet and only met him in his one seven day trip to Chile for a very brief moment.  The Catholic Church sent students from Chile to Chicago to study in Friedman's classes.  Dr. Friedman did not seem to take ownership Chile's economic system in the interview I saw.  

I would be happy to study any critique of Friedman you might offer.  I've seen your thinking about Adam Smith vs. Friedman.  My real interest is in seeing a society that you endorse for a comparison to Friedman's Hong Kong description.  

Anarcho-syndicalism, as I read, is a stateless society built around the union.  Everything is owned by the union.  And so the union bosses that would arise will control all.  Perhaps, I'm miss-informed?

I'm very sure I saw a youtube in recent days of Dr. Friedman saying that you had been invited to be on his Special to challenge him, but declined.  

You are welcome to critique my book, and I'll be happy to include any such critique in the 2nd Edition's printing.  I'll need an address where I should send it. I really don't think you and I are too far part.  I am just very particular about not setting up power structures, state, union or otherwise.  


Gene 

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