Capitalism and Freedom

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Outstanding - Rated
Friedman is a very intuative economist, of this there can be no doubt. However, his correct intuition, in my opinion, stretches no further than economics. His chapter on political freedom for instance, has many holes in it, and although he raises some very thought-provoking ideas, in the end I felt it impossible not to disagree on many counts.

This said, I would strongly advise this book to anyone, beginner or advanced; it's simple style that presents challenging ideas will suit almost all readers.

Excellent. A classic relevant today. - Rated
It is surprising how relevant this book is to the present state of affairs having been written originally in the 60s.

Friedman goes through the issues of capitalism, freedom and related issues on an easy to understand manner; with a few exceptions where he gets a bit too technical for the general public (e.g. monetary policies). Nevertheless a very enlightening text by the Noble price.

A must read for anyone interested in liberalism, economy and politics.

Highly Recommended! - Rated
This is a new edition of Milton Friedman's classic 1962 capitalist manifesto. As such, it was ignored, spurned and hated for decades by the intellectual, post-Keynesian establishment. In the 60s, Friedman once found himself debating a liberal who attacked him by simply reciting Friedman's views of the proper role of government. This was working rather well with the audience of college students until he quoted Friedman's opposition to the military draft. Friedman suddenly found himself awash in the unexpected cheers of students. Perhaps it was a foreshadowing of his career. Friedman won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1976, and his ideas gained some degree of mainstream acceptance in the Reagan years - although many of his thoughts remain controversial. To the extent that Friedman debunks myths about the Great Depression that are widely accepted as fact, perhaps he has a point about the semi-privatization of education. We strongly recommend this volume to those who seek a deeper understanding of government's role in a free-market economy.

all 100% correct except for one glaring ommission - Rated
Mr. Friedman is certainly the greatest living economist and this book is the best there is for an introduction to what capitalism really is. Mr Friedman explains to us the complex basics of economics that most still don't understand. For example when two capitalists exchange money or goods is one getting ripped off, are they doing something trivial, selfish, or wasteful that should be regulated by the gov't, or are they advancing the cause of prosperity ,civilization and freedom? Mr. Friedman walks us through these issues, and more, very brilliantly but in the end he doesn't tell us what to do. When we watch the evening news or walk into the voting booth we are not asked for our opinion of capitialism,rather, we are asked our opinions of Democrats and Republicans. The real issue is not capitalism vs. other; it is Republicans vs Democrats. The book: Understanding The Difference Between Democrats and Republicans is still one of the very few, unbelievably, that deals with this, the most important issue we face. And it isn't ashamed to point out at great length the connection between Republicans, capitalism, and freedom.

Vintage, yet compact, Friedman - Rated
In the tradition of Hayek, Friedman's Capitalism and Freedom attempts to show the dangers of centralized power. Although it is rather short, much like the Road to Serfdom, and lacks the comprehensiveness of a Free to Choose (also by Milton and Rose Friedman) it still comes across rather forcefully. His attention to principle's, something lacking in our 'pragmatic' politics of today, and his ability to come to logical conclusions is remarkable.

I gave the book five stars because I welcome such analysis and believe the book to have achieved what it set out to do (at varying points in the book Friedman would point out that this book is not meant to be 'thorough' in the sense of a complete exposition and refers the reader to alternate books for further discussion). A must read for all politicians and government types alike (whether in Canada or abroad).