Reading Analysis

The interesting part of this article is that it uses a simple pencil to reveal the glamor of invisible hand and free market.Workers don't actually need pencils as their necessity(if the author used a car,he would be challenged because a car is more complex and people long for it),but they produce it because they can exchange profit with their expertise.In article"The Miraculous market",Read claims that"on trillions upon trillions of tiny but complex and interacting creativities, the free flowing of which is, in fact, the free market!"

The article also somewhat praises those millions of tiny yet contributive know-hows.They are actually the founders of market and country,but as I learned in the recitation,"Little we see nature is ours",sometimes we get confused who contributes to our well-being.The answer is,we create the market,we earn the money.

The relatively uninteresting aspect is that there are too many slogans in the last paragraph.They are elaborated,but in the mean time tautology.

I doubt the claim made in the introduction by Reed that"None of the Robespierres of the world knew how to make a pencil, yet they wanted to remake entire societies. How utterly preposterous, and mournfully tragic!"In today's world, science and technology have become so complicated and advanced that there are certainly no people who can elaborate how to make products.Even Einstein said that"An expert is merely a trained dog".Since there's no Aristotle today,why do we urge governors to know how to make certain products?

The second question I want to ask is:If we just let people do all the things at their will,can we achieve maximum profit merely through free market?For example,the price of pork is high now,and thus most of the farmers rush to raise pigs.Since the supply outscores demand,soon the price of pork goes down.Not only are the time and effort in vain,but also the resources are wasted.But if we have the government control,won't we be better?

Brief summary:The author writes the procedures of making a pencil to tell readers that millions of know-hows can create wealth under the invisible hand if all creative energies are uninhibited.

Reason why this essay is assigned:A brief sight of free market;importance of freedom in market;people produce something mainly for exchange of profit