The Genius of Thomas Sowell cover image

Steven Pinker on Thomas Sowell

The Genius of Thomas Sowell

00:00

The Welfare State Is Not a Battle Worth Fighting

I think that the welfare state in the sense of a government with an extensive social safety net is not a battle that's worth fighting. I think just looking at history, we have to admit that there's got to be some reason why countries as they get more affluent tend to devote more of their wealth to social spending. It could be that every single affluent democracy has gotten it wrong and should retreat to a minimalist libertarian state of government doing nothing but enforcing contracts and imposing law and order in national defense.

Transcript
Play full episode

The AI-powered Podcast Player

Save insights by tapping your headphones, chat with episodes, discover the best highlights - and more!
App store bannerPlay store banner
Get the app