Can the "European miracle" survive?

A fine paper by Gerard Radnitzky is now on line in the Rathouse. The bottom line of this long and challenging paper is that the secret of the 'European Miracle' has been the evolution of limited government. There is no trade-off between freedom on the one hand and economic success and scientific progress on the other hand. The two are inseparable because economic growth has come from economic freedom and competition, and scientific progress has come from a free market of ideas.

The phenomenon of the 'Rise of the West' has been made possible by the evolution of freedom in the economic sphere from political and religious influences, and by other developments leading to the security of property rights. It is an open question whether the relatively free society which grew out of the 'European Miracle', will be a unique, fragile and transient exception in human history or an enduring achievement.

For more on Gerard Radnitzky, including the address of his website, see his entry under "About the philosophers" .

With Bill Bartley he edited a great collection of papers on evolutionary epistemology and related topics.