It ensures individual liberty and social enrichment called what?​

Freedom is necessary to generate progress; people also value freedom as an important

component of progress. This chapter will contend that both propositions are correct. Without

liberty, there will be little or no progress; most people will consider an expansion in freedom as

progress. Neither proposition would win universal acceptance. Some would argue that a

totalitarian state can marshal the resources to generate economic growth. Many will contend that

too much liberty induces libertine behavior and is destructive of society, peace, and the family.

For better or worse, the record shows that freedom has increased throughout the world

over the last few centuries and especially over the last few decades. There are of course many

examples of non-free, totalitarian, ruthless government on the globe, but their number has

decreased and now represents a smaller proportion of the world’s population. Perhaps this growth

of freedom is partially responsible for the breakdown of the family and the rise in crime, described

in the previous chapter. Dictators do tolerate less crime and are often very repressive of deviant

sexual behavior, but, as the previous chapter reported, divorce and illegitimacy are more connected

with improved income of women than with a permissive society. Moreover, the ability to rid

oneself of a objectionable mate improves the well-being of the adults involved and may leave the

children no worse than if they had been raised by two antagonistic parents.

A police state can also repress much crime, although no government can totally rid society

of lawlessness. Democracies can also take vigorous action against crime, but protecting the

innocent from government intrusion hampers the effectiveness of law enforcement. The state can

make two types of errors: they can arrest, prosecute and convict and innocent individual or they

can fail to arrest, prosecute or convict a guilty one. Repressive dictators typically are more willing

to make the first type of error and allow the innocent to be caught up with the guilty. Elected