Isaac Chan’s Reviews > That Which Is Seen and That Which Is Not Seen: The Unintended Consequences of Government Spending > Status Update

Well I suppose Bastiat's point is that it's not the government's business to decide externalities (and for that regard, the good life more broadly) – people can decide for themselves.

One can disagree about the externalities – which often happens irl!

Note n/n:

... is in 'mankind, not in the legislator', to provide goods, which is grand and all, but can I trust mankind to accurately price the arts? Look at just how many people are on TikTok.

Bastiat mentions 'the exhibition now preparing in London in which no government is taking any part, and which is being paid for by no tax', which is interesting – I wonder if Tyler knows of this historical example.

Note 1/n:

Bastiat, characteristically, advocates for the abolishment of state support for specific sectors, including the arts, which is my point of interest here. My simple intuition is that the arts have positive externalities, hence they need subsidies. I haven't yet read 'In praise of commercial culture', so idk why Tyler thinks that free markets can adequately fund the arts. Bastiat contends that his faith ...