“Even the most ardent environmentalist doesn’t really want to stop pollution. If he thinks about it and doesn’t just talk about it, he wants to have the right amount of pollution. We can’t really afford to eliminate it—not without abandoning all the benefits of technology that we not only enjoy but on which we depend. So the answer is to allow only pollution that’s worth what it costs, and not any pollution that isn’t worth what it costs.”

— Milton Friedman

“Interview with Milton Friedman”, Playboy magazine (Feb. 1973)

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Milton Friedman 158

American economist, statistician, and writer 1912–2006

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