At 12:10 PM 1/20/99 -0700, Freehand wrote:
>Smith's "invisible hand" is a metaphor. The utilization
>of a metaphor to "explain" some phenomenon, does not
>imply the existence of an entity.
IAN: That "the invisible hand" is a metaphor also does not mean society does not function as a collective entity, so no point is made. In fact, the utility of the metaphor in this case exactly expresses the fact that society really does operate as if it were "one hand."
It's the failure of central planners to perceive the social entity, how it communicates with itself (supply/demand pricing) and such, that is why they assume someone needs to plan for it.
Vegetarians say "NO" to factory-style mass murder.