This week, I gave a public lecture at the Heritage Foundation as part of its speakers’ series on the theme “Free Markets: The Ethical Economic Choice.”

At a time in which many Americans, at least according to opinion polls, say that they are attracted to socialism, I thought it would be helpful to consider what two observers of socialism, the French political philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville and the American theologian Michael Novak, had to say about this subject.

There are many themes which link the ideas of these men, what’s especially noticeable is that their critique of socialism went far beyond economics. It also embraced questions of culture and ethics. Whether the economics of socialism is expressed in the form of mand economy or a type of mild Western European social democracy, the political concerns and philosophical basis of socialism remain the same. Novak and Tocqueville understood this point very well.

Anyone who is interested in hearing more about this topic can watch the lecture here.