These terms are not interchangeable. 'Pro-business' policies often protect incumbents through regulation, leading to cronyism and cartels. 'Pro-market' policies foster open competition, which is the best defense against corporate corruption and monopolies.
Elites often hold beliefs about how society should be ordered that sound virtuous but would be disastrous for ordinary people. The proponents of these 'luxury beliefs' are insulated from the negative real-world consequences by their own wealth and status.
An initially moderate pessimistic stance on new technology often escalates into advocacy for draconian policies. The 1970s ban on civilian nuclear power is a prime example of a fear-based decision that created catastrophic long-term consequences, including strengthening geopolitical rivals.
Proponents of UBI envision a future of self-actualized artists and thinkers. The more probable outcome for many is a loss of purpose, leading to a 'farm animal existence' of passive consumption and despair. The US reservation system serves as a grim real-world example of this dynamic.
Technologists often have a narrow vision for their creations. Thomas Edison believed the phonograph's primary use would be for listening to religious sermons, not jazz music. This history demonstrates that inventors' predictions about their technology's impact should be met with deep skepticism.
Love is a powerful motivator within families and small groups. However, at a societal scale, it fails. A society that expects love to scale, like communism, inevitably resorts to force when that expectation is not met. Money, via markets, is the only scalable, non-coercive alternative.
A regulator who approves a new technology that fails faces immense public backlash and career ruin. Conversely, they receive little glory for a success. This asymmetric risk profile creates a powerful incentive to deny or delay new innovations, preserving the status quo regardless of potential benefits.
The same fear-based arguments and political forces that halted nuclear fission are now re-emerging to block fusion. Ironically, the promise of a future fusion 'savior' is being used as another excuse to prevent the deployment of existing, proven zero-emission fission technology today.
Many call for more large-scale societal projects like the Apollo or Manhattan Projects. However, these were not just public works; they were military or quasi-military efforts born from an arms race. Replicating them requires a more militarized society, a trade-off that is often overlooked.
Contrary to fears of a 'digital divide,' technology driven by free markets has become the great equalizer. Today, more people worldwide have access to smartphones and the internet than to basic utilities like electricity or running water, proving that market forces democratize access effectively.
Scarcity is not a fixed limit but a market signal. As a resource becomes scarce, its price rises. This incentivizes human ingenuity to discover alternatives, improve efficiency, or find new extraction methods. Markets create a homeostatic system that prevents us from ever truly 'running out.'