Reason Debates Jacobin on Capitalism, Socialism

Summary: On November 3, Reason magazine Editor in Chief Katherine Mangu-Ward and I debated Vivek Chibber and Bhaskar Sunkara of Jacobin magazine in New York City. The proposition under discussion was "Is capitalism the best way to improve standards of living, ensure political and economic freedom, and provide opportunity? Could socialism do better?" The event was held in Cooper Union's Great Hall—a historic venue perhaps most famous for Abraham Lincoln's famous anti-slavery speech—and the debate was moderated by New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg. About 900 people were in attendance—and almost all of them were hostile to capitalism and Reason's arguments in favor of "free minds and free markets." At least that's the way it seemed sometimes from the stage.