The political policies that we embrace and advocate today do more than impact our lives in the short-term. They impact and shape the lives of our children, grandchildren, and countless generations to come. If we make the right decisions, we can provide our children and grandchildren with freedom and opportunity. We can enable them to flourish. But if we make the wrong decisions, we can condemn future generations to suffering and misery. We can prevent them from flourishing and living the lives that they desire.
If we want to make the right decisions regarding these policies, then we must identify the standard that will guide our decisions. We must identify the value that we seek to attain or retain.
Unfortunately, in many (if not most) policy debates, values are rarely identified explicitly.
The standard of value identifies what we seek to accomplish or achieve. The standard of value is how we measure and evaluate a particular policy. The standard of value is the most fundamental issue in evaluating any policy, program, or proposal. The standard of value shapes and determines the full context.
At the Texas Institute for Property Rights, individual flourishing serves our standard in evaluating policies. Individual flourishing means living the best life that one can, as one defines it. This means that each individual should be free to define his ends and his means. Each individual should be free to dream and aspire to whatever values he chooses, and then be free to take the actions that he believes are necessary to attain those values. (Of course, he must respect the freedom of others to act as they choose and pursue their dreams and aspirations.)
Property rights are a primary enabler of individual flourishing. Property rights protect each individual’s freedom to create, use, keep, trade, and dispose of the values that make his flourishing possible.