# "Free To Choose" **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 20, 2006, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-to-choose/384900 "2006-12-20T07:03:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-to-choose/384900/1 "2006-12-20T07:03:40Z")
The classic Libertarian series created by Milton Friedman is now available for free in streaming video on the internte. [Free To Choose](http://www.ideachannel.tv/) I highly recommend it to anyone interested in mainstream libertarian thought. There’s the original 1980 PBS series, and the 1990 update introduced by Arnold Schwarzenegger. At the end of each episode is a debate with people who have opposing viewpoints. This is a highly influential series, and it’s worth watching even if you disagree with it, so you can at least understand the position of the other side. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-to-choose/384900/2 "2006-12-20T07:44:28Z")
Isn’t this better suited for Cafe Society ? Where’s the Great Debate ? Or even a little debate ? ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-to-choose/384900/3 "2006-12-20T07:52:35Z")
**Sam** , you know I like and respect you, right? And I have watched the video all the way through and thank you for sharing it, because this is the way I am thinking these days. Having said that, however, I have to ask if this violates any anti-spamming policies of the Straight Dope? I _know_ watching the program online is free, but still… If this was okay with the Admins, then please consider this an apology, but I just had to ask. BTW, I’ll be watching. Thanks Q ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-to-choose/384900/4 "2006-12-20T07:57:48Z")
Yeah, but it’s **Sam** , so what the hell. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-to-choose/384900/5 "2006-12-20T09:04:32Z")
I wasn’t intending to spam anything. Libertarianism is a common topic of discussion in Great Debates, and this is one of the more important Libertarian works. Linking to it is no different than if someone linked to the works of Galbraith or Keynes. Or a documentary on climate change. And I posted the thread expecting there might be some debate over the material. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-to-choose/384900/6 "2006-12-20T09:33:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Having said that, however, I have to ask if this violates any anti-spamming policies of the Straight Dope? I don’t see how this is any different than past posts where somebody provided a link to a YouTube video and said “watch this”. Sam isn’t selling anything. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-to-choose/384900/7 "2006-12-20T15:37:08Z")
Then my apology stands and again, thanks for sharing this. Quasi ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2006, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-to-choose/384900/8 "2006-12-24T06:54:08Z")
Awesome! It is a treat to see this again. Milton rules. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2006, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-to-choose/384900/9 "2006-12-24T14:47:22Z")
I’ve watched it before, but I agree with Sam…its worth watching. I think this is the right forum for this…it could loosely be seen as ‘witnessing’. 😉 > [@](#): > > Great Debates > For long-running discussions of the great questions of our time. This is also the place for religious debates and (if you feel you must) witnessing. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Agnostic\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Agnostic\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agnostic_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2006, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-to-choose/384900/10 "2006-12-25T04:54:53Z")
Thanks Sam. I have read Friedman, but never saw these shows. It will be good to watch over the semester break. (Og knows I wont have the time after that!) I think this is appropriate for the Dope, just dont know which forum though. AP ---
**Author:** ![SentientMeat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SentientMeat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SentientMeat)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2006, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-to-choose/384900/11 "2006-12-27T11:21:38Z")
Whenever I read Friedman, his notion of “freedom” always seemed exceptionally limited to me. Just like Von Mises, he didn’t appear to take any account of cognitive science in his near-spiritual belief in the mechanics of human decision-making (though maybe I didn’t read carefully enough), and the “freedom” to literally die because someone else “owns” that which you depend on for survival doesn’t sound particularly free to my libertarian-socialist ears at all. In fact, it sounds more like _slavery_. ---
**Author:** ![According\_to\_Pliny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-to-choose/384900/12 "2006-12-28T00:51:39Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] mainstream libertarian thought [/QUOTE] There’s a phrase I hope never comes true.😃