Great piece. The tendency for firms to champion political values is very worrying. Throughout the liberal canon, there's a consistent preoccupation with limiting the reach of politics; Friedman's essay is in this tradition. If firms champion political values, citizens have fewer places to hide from politics. In free societies, such space…
Great piece. The tendency for firms to champion political values is very worrying. Throughout the liberal canon, there's a consistent preoccupation with limiting the reach of politics; Friedman's essay is in this tradition. If firms champion political values, citizens have fewer places to hide from politics. In free societies, such spaces are vital.
More broadly, this problem reflects the hegemony of a particularly set of values. In very religious societies, religion intrudes into other spheres, such as politics and work. Originally, liberalism addressed such problems, reflecting its inception in religious societies. But increasingly, liberal values are hegemonic. As postmaterial values have spread among populations, associated with better economic conditions, several liberal causes have become more popular; most concern the autonomy of minority groups. Reflecting this hegemony, liberals have become increasingly intolerant, overlooking parts of the liberal tradition which concern freedom of speech.
Great piece. The tendency for firms to champion political values is very worrying. Throughout the liberal canon, there's a consistent preoccupation with limiting the reach of politics; Friedman's essay is in this tradition. If firms champion political values, citizens have fewer places to hide from politics. In free societies, such spaces are vital.
More broadly, this problem reflects the hegemony of a particularly set of values. In very religious societies, religion intrudes into other spheres, such as politics and work. Originally, liberalism addressed such problems, reflecting its inception in religious societies. But increasingly, liberal values are hegemonic. As postmaterial values have spread among populations, associated with better economic conditions, several liberal causes have become more popular; most concern the autonomy of minority groups. Reflecting this hegemony, liberals have become increasingly intolerant, overlooking parts of the liberal tradition which concern freedom of speech.
I wrote about this here, if people are interested: https://thomasprosser.substack.com/p/why-dont-liberals-support-free-speech
Apologies if you're not allowed to link to your own material - I'll delete!