Friedman deliberately courted unpopular positions because he found them low-cost and rewarding

Evidence

While previous members of the Mont Pèlerin Society had labored to develop philosophical models that would prove palatable to their more moderate contemporaries, Friedman did not hesitate to emphasize those points where his perspective diverged from established views. “I believe that people are unduly deterred by the prospect of publicly taking an unpop u lar position,” he asserted in a retrospective at the end of his career. “As someone who has repeatedly done so over a very long period, I believe that doing so seldom involves high costs.” Friedman built his professional and public career on the advocacy of positions that ran contrary to received opinion, and he endured the resulting controversies to fi nd himself regaled with private wealth, academic honors, and lasting po liti cal recognition. — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion, 391

Categorization

• SEED: Angle: how a self-aware strategy of contrarian advocacy, rather than moderation, succeeded where the MPS’s palatable-political-models approach did not.
• XREF: connects to: Friedman endorsed vouchers and NIT tactically to dismantle government programs — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free…, 495; Friedman’s egalitarian personal style shielded him from being cast as a class enemy. — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free…, 484; Early Friedman deliberately cultivated a moderate tone to make radical policies palatable. — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free…, 427 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Early Friedman deliberately cultivated a moderate tone to make radical policies palatable. #qualifies (0.85) — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion, 427
• Friedman broke from MPS founders by embracing radical change and contrarianism #corroborates (0.80) — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion, 445