In the general course of human nature, a power over a man's subsistence amounts to a power over his will.
Men born to freedom are naturally alert to repel invasions of their liberty by evil-minded rulers.
These statements by Hamilton and Brandeis are parts of a debate regarding economic freedom which has involved eminent scholars as well as political, religious, labor, and business leaders for more than two centuries. The freedom of people to pursue their economic interests is connected closely by some scholars with the very rise and fall of nations. The following questions illustrate the dimensions of this concern. The Economic Freedom Institute is a new enterprise which will catalyze both the popular and scholarly discussion of issues related to economic freedom such as those suggested by the preceding questions. This endeavor has importance and broad scope, as these questions above surely indicate.