Musings

Free Market Capitalism vs. Crony Capitalism

The following is a short excerpt from ‘The Morality of Capitalism: What Your Professors Won’t Tell You”, a series of essays on political economics. In the excerpt, the essayist differentiates between the terms “crony capitalism” and “free market…

So You Think Money Is The Root of All Evil?

In her book Atlas Shrugged, one of Ayn Rand’s famed characters Francisco d’Anconia counters the assertion that “money is the root of all evil”. Against the backdrop of a party, Francisco argues that money is merely a symbol- a symbol of exchange, of…

End of Time?

The following is a short excerpt from “Freedom to Express and Offend” by Ravi Shanker Kapoor, where he succinctly counters the assertion that “freedom of expression shall be curtailed lest it offends or hurts the sentiments of people” and quotes the eloquent Bertrand Russell on the subject.

Musings: Voltaire On Trade

The following is an excerpt from Voltaire’s essay “On Trade” from Letters Concerning the English Nation, a key work from the Enlightenment period. Known for his sharp wit, the observations of the satirical polemicist are just as provocative and relevant in the 21st century as they…

Brilliant Democracy, Lousy Economics: Let’s Talk Cash

The following is an excerpt from Kanwal Rekhi’s article titled “Brilliant Democracy, Lousy Economics” (Silicon India, December, 1999). In the excerpt…

Musings: Grievances in and of the Supreme Court

With the four senior judges of the Supreme Court publicly expressing their dissatisfaction with the Chief Justice of India, Vineet Bhalla reflects on the lack of an institutional grievance redressal mechanism in the Judiciary.

Spontaneous Musings: Parth Shah on Education and Choice

The following is an excerpt from the transcript of Education in India (an audio podcast) hosted by K. Satyanarayan with Parth J. Shah (Founder President of Centre for Civil Society). The podcast was recorded on June 09, 2014. In the…

Spontaneous Musings: Kanwal Rekhi on Liberalisation for the Sake of the Poor

Spontaneous Order presents “Spontaneous Musings”, a section for tid-bits that inspire discussion and debate.