Frankly, is it not somewhat humiliating for the nineteenth century to prepare a spectacle of childishness such as this for future ages with such imperturbable seriousness?

Frédéric Bastiat
Economic Sophisms First Series.

This is how Bastiat concludes after explaining what is the “immense discovery” he found, according to which the only thing that protectionist measures do is to replace the natural obstacles that are suppressed one after the other thanks to progress. The “childishness” is constituted once again by the absurdities put in place by the politicians that are detrimental to the people.

Unfortunately and once again, humanity has not learnt from the past and what should have been humiliating in the 19th century, when at least a few enlightened people like Frédéric Bastiat where around to expose these absurdities, is still even more humiliating in the 21st century when humanity has not made much progress on the topic.