To the extent this freedom is denied, the burden of proof-and the consequences for this denial-lies with those critics who would wish it so. Our freedom to try, to tinker, to learn, and to know are all just the same as our “freedom to innovate” and our freedom to pursue happiness however we see fit to pursue it.įostering a social and political culture that protects entrepreneurialism, the freedom to innovate, and the right earn a living is a moral imperative because it has enormous consequences for the well-being of current and future generations. So, let us resolve to clearly establish that the freedom to pursue happiness and the freedom to innovate are, in reality, the exact same right. In sum, if you are not free to innovate, you are not free to pursue happiness. Worse yet, denying people the freedom to innovate deprives society of the wisdom and prosperity that accompanies innovation, which is the foundation of human flourishing. By challenging our freedom to experiment with new and better ways of doing things, critics are essentially condemning us to the status quo. When critics decry a particular innovation or propose limiting entrepreneurial acts, they are challenging our freedom to know and learn more about the world and pursue a better future. Repressing innovation has profound consequences. Knowledge comes from acts of trial-and-error experimentation, and growth comes from innovation. Knowledge isn’t a mere collection of words that have existed since the dawn of time, and growth isn’t merely a matter of luck or destiny. These rights also serve as the basis of more specific freedoms: the freedom to tinker and try, or to innovate more generally. So long as we do not bring harm to others, we are generally free to act as we wish. Our constitutional heritage secured these rights and made it clear that we possess them simply by nature of being human beings. Our right to pursue happiness aligns with our corresponding rights to speak, learn, and move about the world. Specifically, it is time we acknowledge that our freedom to pursue happiness is the basis of many other corresponding rights, including the right to innovate and the right to earn a living. It is time to think more expansively about the right to pursue happiness. That memorable line from America’s Declaration of Independence makes it clear that we are at liberty to pursue lives of our own choosing. “ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
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