Freedom, Competition and Market order

Abstract

Summary:

This artcle is an attempt to provide a close view to the social liberal order through the prism of the value triad Freedom- Competition-Market order. The perimeter of the research interest leaves aside the more general philosophical interpretations of freedom. Every social order is built up on common values. This is the secret of its stability. Values are abstract concepts that direct people towards goals which they are willing to achieve together. This is possible just in case of conceptual synonymy in understanding the values and reaching an agreement to follow defi nite rules that guarantee achievement of these values. In this article freedom is looked upon as an entirety of property rights; competition – as a compulsory game in which the players should take part in order to obtain property rights; and market order as the totality of all the market players and the rules which they follow in order to achieve their free choice of production and of market exchange of the property rights upon goods. According to the author freedom and competition are in close relationship which is created by the property rights. The clearly defi ned rules as per which every player acquires property rights upon goods outline the scope of his free actions. The extension of this fi eld in the presence of the institution of market as a regulator of the exchange can be acheived mainly through a competition play. This play should be organized through a set of rules which do not allow turning the society to an arena for gladiator battles and so guarantee maintenance of compatibility as the most civilized achievement of men. The triad Freedom-Competition-Market order is a creative achievement of human, developed through the creation of rules and order out of which it cannot exist. This achievement is one of the main features of modern society . People are what they are. And whether they will show off the best of themselves depends only on the rules of society.