[Buddha-l] Re: Political views of Buddhists

[Tyler Cann]

>Milton Friedman was a truly evil man. Because of people 
>like him and his buddy Pinochet I pray that there really 
>is a Hell.


Umm... just because Pinochet tried to instate Friedman's 
theories as policy doesn't make them 'buddies.'  Stalin's 
reign does not nullify the contribution of Marx, nor does 
Hitler's that of Hegel.  Yes, Friedman gave lectures at 
the Catholic University of Chile during Pinochet's time, but 
they did not differ widely from those he gave in other 
countries, and occurred not because of Friedman's 
relationship with Pinochet but rather because of a 
long-standing exchange program between said university and 
the U of Chicago.  Friedman only met with Pinochet once, 
and then only very briefly. And yes, economists of 
Friedman's 'Chicago School' did play a part in the 
implementation of Pinochet's policies, but the Chicago Boys
blatantly disregarded their former mentor's prescription 
for political freedom.  Friedman formally denounced the 
authoritarian regime of Chile in 1975.

Say what you will about Friedman's ideas in practice, but it 
seems to me that no one else had the wherewithal to rescue 
the field of Economics from the train-wreck that was 
Keynesianism (Great Depression anyone?) Maybe you disagree 
with Friedman's quantity theory of money, even though has 
shown itself to be empirically blatant.  OK, fine.  Maybe 
you prefer the stranglehold fixed exchange rates hold over 
economies to Friedman's floating rates.  Sure, good for 
you.  Perhaps you prefer the outdated and defunct Phillips 
Curve to Friedman's revision thereof.  Again, up to you.  
But to call him evil because you disagree with his 
theoretical efforts is a bit over-the-top.
 
Whether right or wrong, I highly doubt Friedman, 
or any economist (except for Soros) is hell-bent on world 
domination.  And even if his theory did contribute to 
Pinochet's regime, I don't think that qualifies him to 
wind up in the hell you so wish for.  "Mental volition, 
O Bhikkhus, is what I call kamma."  The Jains were pretty 
spot on with their criticism of the Buddhist reliance 
on volition when they jested that, under Buddhism, he who 
stabs a baby thinking it's a durian will suffer no 
kammic consequences.  So, even if you are correct in that 
Friedman 'stabbed the baby', I think it's fairly certain 
that he thought it was a durian.

- Tyler



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