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The term free society is used frequently by libertarian and Objectivist theorists to denote a society in which their ideal political, legal, and economic aims are in effect.〔''The Journal of Libertarian Studies'', 11:2 (Summer 1995): 132-181 ()〕〔The Atlas Society. "Government Financing in a Free Society" ()〕 In a theoretical free society, all individuals act voluntarily, having the freedom to obtain the power and resources to fulfill their own potential. Adlai Stevenson defined free societies as a society in which individuals find it "safe to be unpopular". This can be elaborated in terms of freedom of speech - if people have a right to express their views without fear of arrest, imprisonment, or physical harm. In a free society, individuals would organize in voluntary associations, including free market and communal societies. In a free society, individuals would gain more prosperity due to the lack of restrictions on trade and wealth creation. ==Economic freedom (free market)== As a citizen among a free society, one would have the ability to organize in voluntary associations such as the free market. This freedom of choice is key to establishing a free society, and as mentioned earlier individuals would gain more prosperity due to lack of restrictions on trade. The role of government regarding these freedoms are also vital to a free society. Early proponents of the free market, such as James Madison "understood that getting the rules right and allowing markets to expand would increase personal and economic freedom.".〔Dorn, J. A. (2012). "The Scope of Government in a Free Society." ''CATO Journal'', 32(3), 629–642〕 Further, there has been much debate regarding the level of state involvement in the market, there was a strong belief in the 19th century that "the market should be seen as a self-regulating mechanism and that the state's role was to remove itself as far as possible from intervening in it or regulating it."〔Jackson, B. (2010). "At the Origins of Neo-Liberalism: The Free Economy and the Strong State, 1930–1947." ''Historical Journal'', 53(1), 129-151〕 The ideal supporting this self-regulation is known as laissez-faire, in which the government creates regulations for the sole purpose of protecting property rights against theft and aggression, while allowing the market to self-regulate. Adam Smith is quoted saying that in a free society, "every man, as long as he does not violate the laws of justice is perfectly free to pursue his own interest his own way, and to bring both his industry and capital into competition with those of any other order of men." 〔Buder, Stanley. ''Capitalizing on Change: A Social History of American Business''. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2009. Print., additional text.〕 The reasoning for desiring reduced government regulation has come from the view that "the protection of the masses has in all times been the pretence of tyranny – the plea of monarchy, of aristocracy, of special privilege of every kind … slave owners justified slavery as protecting the slaves".〔Bonaparte, T. H. (1989). "George on Free Trade, At Home and Abroad: The American Economist and Social Philosopher Envisioned a World Unhindered in Production and Exchange." ''American Journal Of Economics & Sociology'', 48(2), 245., additional text.〕 While It has been argued that free society should consist of low government involvement and regulation, arguments do remain to the contrary. It has been suggested that in a society that involves free market, large governments and their involvement is a good thing as it ensures social justice as well as equality. While this view does exist "the truth is that while the () economic crisis may have created an opening for a more active government and increased scepticism about the desirability of unrestrained free markets, supporters of an activist state have yet to offer a coherent and compelling argument in its favour."〔Sabeel Rahman, K. (2011). "Conceptualizing the Economic Role of the State: Laissez-Faire, Technocracy, and the Democratic Alternative." ''Polity'', 43(2), 264–286. doi:10.1057/pol.2010.29, additional text.〕 As such, the current free market view holds that government regulations shall be kept at a minimum, existing solely to protect its citizens and their property rights from harm. While recent debate has recurred regarding this issue this remains the consensus when referring to free market. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Free society」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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