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Milton Friedman on paternalism and consumer protection

Friedman on whether government may stop adults doing things that harm only themselves, and who protects the consumer from the protector.

4 passages in the archive1 checked against the source3 not yet checked
  1. Freedom is a tenable objective only for responsible individuals. We do not believe in freedom for madmen or children. The necessity of drawing a line between responsible individuals and others is inescapable, yet it means that there is an essential ambiguity in our ultimate objective of freedom. Paternalism is inescapable for those whom we designate as not responsible.
    Capitalism and Freedom
    Book, 1962, Ch. 2 The Role of Government in a Free Society, p. 33
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  2. We have heard much these past few years of how the government protects the consumer. A far more urgent problem is to protect the consumer from the government.
    An Economist's Protest: Columns in Political Economy
    Book, 1966, p. 107
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  3. There is no place for government to prohibit consumers from buying products the effect of which will be to harm themselves.
    Who protects the consumer?
    Television, 1980, PBS, vol. 7
    Not yet checkedFind it at the source
  4. Other kinds of regulations, particularly regulations on personal behavior, have gone up. It's social control that has been taking the place of narrow economic control. ( … ) They're not a threat to the free market. They're a threat to human freedom.
    Commanding Heights: Milton Friedman interview
    Interview, 2000, PBS, “Where We Stand Today,” interview conducted October 1, 2000
    Checked against the sourceRead the transcript

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