I, Pencil -- Professor Chesterton

The autobiography of a #2 pencil can teach a lesson that can help save the freedom mankind is so unhappily loosing: "Leave all creative energies uninhibited."

"Eloquent. Extraordinary. Timeless. Paradigm-shifting. Classic. Half a century after it first appeared, Leonard Read's "I, Pencil" still evokes such adjectives of praise. Rightfully so, for this little essay opens eyes and minds among people of all ages. Many first-time readers never see the world quite the same again. Ideas are most powerful when they're wrapped in a compelling story. Leonard's main point—economies can hardly be "planned" when not one soul possesses all the know-how and skills to produce a simple pencil—unfolds in the enchanting words of a pencil itself. Leonard could have written "I, Car" or "I, Airplane," but choosing those more complex items would have muted the message. No one person—repeat, no one, no matter how smart or how many degrees follow his name—could create from scratch a small, everyday pencil, let alone a car or an airplane." —Lawrence W. Reed, President of the Foundation for Economic Education

Text taken from "I, Pencil" by Leonard E. Read

http://fee.org/library/books/i-pencil-2/

Edited, Produced, Illustrated and Read by Professor Chesterton

All Artwork (C) Chet Cobb, October 2010.

Music by Maya Filipič (Licensed under Creative Commons)

Contact Professor Chesterton at: professorchesterton@gmail.com

Leonard E. Read (1898-1983) founded FEE in 1946 and served as its president until his death. "I, Pencil," his most famous essay, was first published in the December 1958 issue of The Freeman. Although a few of the manufacturing details and place names have changed over the past forty years, the principles are unchanged.

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[princess13dachshund]

@spamdude1 I think the young like voice is good because it's just a pencil...

[qtutoringhelps]

@usr1000x

What do you mean by "the market has no incentive"? The market is a hub of transactions. People, to the extent the market is free, have incentives to make these transactions. Who supplies most of the web sites you visit on the Internet? Who supplies the computers?

[usr1000x]

This is naive and dogmatic. The internet, rural electrification, continental railroad, gps, interstate highways ... there are many cases where the market has no incentive and does a poor job. None of those would have happened without govt intervention.

[freedomuniversity]

You did a good job with the narrating-don't listen to spamdude1. Enjoyed the video.

[spamdude1]

This is a great video, but you should consider having someone with a better voice do the narrating. No offense.

[OverwhelmingQuestion]

From this video I am convinced that half the world participates in making the small meatshop where I work run correctly :P

[Sfan985]

Amazing.