15 The Prospects of International Order

One of the lessons we should have learned is that economic planning is bound to be harmful, not only on an economic level, but in international relations. Most of these attempts to plan have no hope of working except that they can shut out extraneous influences. Economic transactions between nations who consider themselves supreme judges of their own behavior, who bow to no superior laws, and can’t be bound by any considerations but their own immediate interests, must end in clashes of power.

Some who have realized this are now thinking in terms of an international planning authority. But the conflict between planning and freedom will only increase, with the increased scope of nations under the banner of such an economic plan. If it is impossible for all the varied interests within a nation to agree on which interests to prioritize, the problem is exponentially increased if all nations of the world are to now be considered.

If many people aren’t willing to see this difficulty, some of the reason might be that they believe, consciously or unconsciously, that it will be they who settle the questions, and because they believe themselves capable of doing so justly and equitably. But this sort of planning will only be implemented by an even more naked display of force than we have currently seen. It is a mistake to think that the blatant brutality and disregard of the smaller nations by the Nazis is a sign of their particular wickedness; it is the nature of the task they have assumed which makes these things inevitable. Even the best intentions could not prevent them from being forced to act in such a way.

This is true even if we assume a power that is as idealistic and unselfish as we can possibly conceive. But in the end, it is unlikely such an authority will be so idealistic and unselfish in the face of such temptations granted by the exercise of such power.

Even now in England, there is a chorus of voices stating that Europe should be rebuilt postwar in a way that will benefit English industry. Such suggestions are tendered by people in all innocence by decent people who are utterly ignorant of the enormous moral implications of their decisions.

Planning requires fixing an order of priorities of different claims. Each different claim must be ranked according to merit, with some having precedence over others. Those whose interests have been relegated may be convinced not only that their interests have more right, but they would have a much better chance of seeing their own interests succeed if they were given freedom to act on their own devices. In this planned economy, nearly everyone will feel worse off than if some other plan had been adopted, and it is only the arbitrary decisions of the authorities that have condemned them to a place less favorable than what they believe is their due.

Many people would undoubtedly feel that if they were allowed to do the job, they could settle things in a just and impartial manner. They would be genuinely surprised to find that their priorities are maligned as unjust, and would be the first to apply force against the recalcitrance of those whom they meant to benefit. What these dangerous idealists don’t see is that the assumption of the moral responsibility of planning will place them in a position where it is impossible to act morally.

16 Conclusion

This book was written to outline a program of a desired future of society. The important thing now is to agree on certain principles and free ourselves from the errors which have governed us in the recent past. We need to create conditions favorable to progress, rather than plan progress. We won’t be able to do this until we admit we have been very foolish in certain ideas.

The young are correct to have little confidence in the ideas that ruled their elders. They are mistaken when they believe the fault lies with the liberal ideas that the young know almost nothing about.

We have the opportunity to realize these ideals, and they were not meager. We have little right to feel superior to our ancestors, and we should never forget that it was we, not them, who have made such a mess of things. The experience we have gained should teach us better. The guiding principle is that a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.