Source: EconLog
by Jon Murphy
“Commenting on a recent post by Scott Sumner, Mactoul argued ‘Authoritarianism is useful when you are trying to downsize the federal bureaucracy.’ This sort of love affair with arbitrary power is common when the authoritarian does what you want. It’s why authoritarianism is so seductive, even to those who abhor power. Many days and nights I have spent dreaming of the utopia that would exist if only I, and I alone, wielded absolute power. Even Adam Smith discusses how certain evils, like slavery, are more likely to be abolished or mitigated under an arbitrary government as opposed to a more limited government …. But lest we be seduced by this ability for authoritarianism to do good, we must remember that it is arbitrary. What can be undone by an authoritarian government can once again be done.” (03/07/25)
https://www.econlib.org/authoritarianism-a-deal-with-the-devil/