MEET THE SOCIETY
MARGARET THATCHER
The Iron Lady herself sits proudly as a member of the Invisible Hand Society. Trained as a chemist and having worked briefly as a barrister, Thatcher became leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party before ascending to Prime Ministership. There she proudly upheld neoliberalism against its many challengers, earning her an esteemed place within the society.
FRIEDRICH HAYEK
The Austrian-born Hayek is a Nobel-prize winning economist and free market warrior. An ardent critic of socialism, Hayek argued that a free market was essential for individual liberty. He condemned overbearing governments’ tendency toward central planning, and asserted that it was the government’s prerogative to defend the free market in order to preserve a free society. The society is proud to count Hayek as a member.
MILTON FRIEDMAN
The world-famous economist Milton Friedman was arguably the 20th Century’s most passionate free market defender. With his book from the 1960s, Capitalism and Freedom, Friedman established the philosophical foundation of a generation of capitalists. Later, his theory of monetarism would go on to influence such luminaries as fellow society member Margaret Thatcher and former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. Friedman has truly earned his place among the world’s most renowned free market advocates.
ADAM SMITH
The original Invisible Hand Society member, Smith literally wrote the book on free market capitalism. His book, The Wealth of Nations, laid the foundations of the free market, arguing that rational self-interest and competition lead to economic prosperity. Adam Smith established the Invisible Hand Society, and to him a wiser, more affluent world owes a debt of thanks.
AYN RAND
Known by her pen name to her readers and admirers, Ayn Rand’s fiction stridently defended the free market. Rand understood that individual rights, including property rights, were the foundation of a truly free society, and her novels influenced a multitude of political movements. She sits proudly as a member of the society.
CAPTAIN INDUSTRY
The Captain embodies the business leaders who amassed great personal wealth to the everlasting benefit of their nation. Their will toward personal gain increased jobs and productivity, while fueling innovation and expanding markets. This hero wears his cape proudly as a member of the society
Half of Adam Smith is like “here’s what the capitalists seem to be doing, and it’s pretty fucked up” This is proof that these guys don’t even read their heroes, it’s literally a secular religion with the market replacing god.
My first thought as well.
Let’s see what Adam Smith has to say about landlords:
“As soon as the land of any country has all become private property, the landlords, like all other men, love to reap where they never sowed, and demand a rent even for its natural produce.”
:landlord-spotted:
Oh, uhh…
“The value of any commodity, therefore, to the person who possesses it, and who means not to use or consume it himself, but to exchange it for other commodities, is equal to the quantity of labour which it enables him to purchase or command. Labour, therefore, is the real measure of the exchangeable value of all commodities. […] Labour alone, therefore, never varying in its own value, is alone the ultimate and real standard by which the value of all commodities can at all times and places be estimated and compared. It is their real price; money is their nominal price only.”
:marx-goth:
Doesn’t Adam Smith use the term “invisible hand” like once in the entire wealth of nations text? Maybe twice?
I am furiously begging the apologists of capital to read a motherfucking book that isn’t Harry Potter.
Just once in Wealth of Nations and thrice in all his works. The first time he uses the term he’s talking about fucking Jupiter in his astronomy book. Regardless, it’s completely left its original usage long ago and just means “whatever the fuck happens in the economy is good and no you can’t have healthcare/education/housing/etc” today.
