By practically every measure, government interference in the free market is growing. The reason is that no one, neither on the left nor the right, is willing to defend capitalism as moral . Thus, both sides agree, whatever the practical value of capitalism, morality requires that the free market be reigned in by government regulations. The only disagreement between the two sides is over the number of regulations and the rate of their growth. What no one has grasped yet is that capitalism is not just practical but also moral.
Capitalism is the only system that fully allows and encourages the virtues necessary for human life.
It is the only system that safeguards the freedom of the independent mind and recognizes the sanctity of the individual. Every product that sustains and improves human life is made possible by the thinking of the world's creators and producers. We enjoy an abundance of food because scientists have discovered more efficient methods of agriculture, such as fertilization and crop rotation. Most people recognize the right of scientists and engineers to be free to ask questions, to pursue new ideas, and to create new innovations. Behind the activities of the businessman there is a process of rational inquiry every bit as important as that of the scientist or inventor.