February 25, 2026
Free

What does it mean to be free—for states or for individuals?

Am I free to stop going to work? To walk naked down the street? Or only to attend a wedding wearing shorts?

Of course I can—but I must take the consequences into account: if I do not work, how will I live? If I go naked, I will be arrested and committed as insane; if I go to a wedding in shorts, I offend everyone, and so on.

So in fact, if I act rationally, the choices are few; if I behave like a fool or a madman, the choices are endless.

The same applies to states: a good government acts in the interest of its people and therefore makes the most appropriate decisions. It is not a matter of doing whatever one wants, but of doing what is wisest and most advantageous.