Serving the World by promoting Individual Freedom and Free Markets

When the philosopher Michael Novak received the Templeton Prize in 1994, he noted that “Freedom requires the willingness to sacrifice present pleasures for rewards that will be enjoyed primarily by future generations.” It may be very clear why integrity, reliability, dignity and mutual respect are key ingredients for free societies. But virtue also demands that we sacrifice our “present pleasures” for the good of our communities today and in the future. While it may not be “from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner,” I will argue that an ethos of service to others is fundamental to humankind’s economic and moral well-being.