A brief introduction to our blog before we get started: This is Exploring Capitalism, a new resource for everyone interested in capitalism. Throughout the site, you will find material related to capitalism, but especially explorations of the moral, social, legal, and political foundations of capitalism. We aim to explore capitalism through a robust discussion of the foundations of a free society.
The site is a project of the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism (CISC), America’s first university-based think tank dedicated to exploring the moral foundations of capitalism. The CISC is proud to make this introduction to our blog as one of the first initiatives in expanding our programming on capitalism.
Rather than the fact of free trade alone, I desire for my country the general philosophy of free trade. While free trade will itself bring more wealth to us, the acceptance of the general philosophy that underlies free trade will inspire all needed reforms.
Like Frédéric Bastiat in nineteenth-century France, the mission of Exploring Capitalism is to move beyond economics alone to a consideration of the wider philosophic questions about capitalism, for capitalism is not economic exchange alone, but an integrated vision of a free society and the legal and political institutions that maintain and give rise to the production and exchange that we call a modern economy. Although many philosophers, historians, and economists have defined capitalism in a variety of ways, our starting point is the conception of capitalism as the system of individual rights, not only in the economic sphere, but, in the classic words of the Declaration of Independence, in all areas of human life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Some of the recurring features of the blog will be posts featuring: brief profiles of the heroes of capitalism; explanations of the ideas of the great economists; discussion and dispelling of myths about markets. We will also occasionally feature some of our favorite passages from the great defenders of the ideals of the free society. We hope that in the coming weeks, months, and years, as this site grows, you will come along with us for an exploration of the most vibrant and exciting developments in our world.