Milton Friedman is dead. He left us a much brighter world than the one he found when he first started his spectacular career as a scientist, first and foremost, and as a public, unashamed, principled advocate for freedom.
I will not bore you with links and clumsy overviews of this great man’s work. You can find far better commentary on that elsewhere. I will instead share with you how this giant, who graciously offered us a welcoming shoulder, influenced my life:
My first contact with real economics came in the form of Gary S. Becker’s An Economic Approach to Human Behavior, having previously only read bland, uninspired introductory texts. Becker’s work convinced me that “there might be something about this ‘economics’ business after all”, but I was soon caught up with what I considered to be a far more worthy use of my time, the politics of individual freedom. This is where Milton Friedman came in.
Friedman showed me, in a very personal manner, that you can be a scientist, a world-renowned and respectable scientist, and still be passionate and convincing about the important things in life. Friedman showed me a way out of my political dogmatism, by convincing me that science was “with us”, not “against us”; that telling the truth was the best defense of freedom one could hope for.
Friedman brought hope and enlightenment to thousands of freedom lovers just like myself. His work single-handedly drove me to try and become the best scientist I could, something which I’m now determined, more than ever, to keep going.
His tremendous and successful efforts—both as a dedicated and innovative scientist of positive economics and as an advocate of sane, efficient, libertarian policy—will be a source of continuous inspiration.
Milton Friedman will be sorely missed. Our thoughts should now turn, I think, to Rose Friedman, his wife and life-long intellectual companion, his son David Friedman, an accomplished economists, lawyer and libertarian author in his own right, the Friedman Foundation and, not least of all, the honor of carrying on this man’s intellectual legacy.
Ludosan commented:
17 Noiembrie 2006 la 12:11
In Franta, am avut dreptul la o stire scurta si concisa. Doar pe iTélé ( disponibil doar pe cablu sau satelit) am avut dreptul, in supliment, la un mic comentariu (prin telefon) din partea unui economist amintind, scurt, natura lucrarilor lui Friedman, in termeni mult prea tehnici pentru ca ascultatorul de rand sa priceapa ceva. Ascultatorul de rand, daca va fi ascultat, va fi retinut cuvintele: “monetarism” “dezinflatie competititva” “liberalism”…Cuvinte odioase urechilor “poporului de stanga” ! Asa incat… la final, cand ni s-a spus ca Milton Friedman este probabil al doilea mare ganditor al secolului 20 ( nu stim cine-i primul!)…suna ca de pe alta planeta ! Oricum, nu a durat, in total, mai mult de un minut!
Caci in aceeasi seara Franta era ochi si urechi sa afle si sa se bucure de victoria Dnei Segolene Royal la “alegerile primare” ale Partidului Socialist. Ore intregi de comentarii! Leit-motivul: “un nou elan al stangii anti-liberale” ! Nu glumesc, in Franta actuala, a fi tratat de “liberal” echivaleaza cu a fi fost tratat de “legionar” in Romania anilor ‘50. Doar pedeapsa penala si Canalul lipsesc (pentru cata vreme insa?).
Andrei commented:
18 Noiembrie 2006 la 20:11
Trist intr-adevar ce se intampla in Franta! Insa doamna Segolene lucreaza din greu
sa creeze comitetele poporului care sa ii judece pe politicieni si probabil ca cetatenii urmeaza si ei la rand. 
Dar nu stiu daca in Romania am avut stirea respectiva :). Eu unul n-am vazut nici una.
Revenind la Milton Friedman, intr-adevar a reusit ceea ce putin economisti reusesc si anume sa promoveze cauza libertatii in termenii (tv, ziare)cei mai simpli cu putinta si mai usor de inteles. Chiar daca unele pledoarii de-ale sale, mai ales cele de politica monetara sunt dintre cele mai dificile de inteles, pledoariile sa in favoarea comertului liber, responsabilitatii individuale, dereglementarii, etc, raman unele dintre cele mai inteligibile si mai convingatoare dintre multele astfel de pledoarii scrise peste tot in lume. Nerespingand aprioric mediul politic, a incercat sa colaboreze si sa limiteze iresponsabilitatea, politicile paguboase si erorile ce prea des se aciueaza in acest mediu ceea ce e un ajutor extrem de mare dat libertatii.
Adversarii i-au recunoscut intotdeuna sarmul, inteligenta fina, si relaxarea cu care se angaja in dezbateri si felul convingator in care isi sustinea pozitiile. Asa cum se precizeaza in articol, asta e cu siguranta dovada eruditiei, inteligentei si pasiunii pentru dezlegarea problemelor economice care l-au animat de-a lungul carierei.
Dumnezeu sa-l ierte si sa-l odihneasca in pace!
Atlas Economic Research Foundation commented:
27 Noiembrie 2006 la 19:11
Atlas Economic Research Foundation