Repetition as Proof: How the American Business Community Sold Us the Idea of “The Free Market”

Naomi Oreskes • Harvard University

October 7th @ 5pm • Room 100 of The Frank Center for Public Affairs

*due to speaker availability, this lecture is on a Tuesday*

Many Americans (and people around the globe) believe in “The Free Market.” They also accept certain claims about this “Free Market”: that is has agency, is efficient, and is runs according to the wisdom of a God-like “invisible hand.” But “The Free Market” does not exist and never has. Markets, of course, do exist, but they are as diverse as they are plentiful, and throughout history have run according to rules set by communities and governments. So why do so many of us believe in the false idea of a unitary Free Market? One reason is the role of the American business community in the 20th century in promoting it, not through factual historical or economic arguments, but through repetition. In this talk, I will discuss how repetition has worked to enshrine the concept of “The Free Market” in American life.

Genres of Proof
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