[Voltorb]

Utah, you are certainly correct concerning the free ride principle, which is why you must have government enforce the rules that are in effect to thwart any individual acting in his own best interest.

You are also correct in pointing out that the exact statement I have made has not technically been disproven. Is it okay to say that free markets assume that each individual acting in his own best interest is always in the best interest of the group. If this is true, then that particular statement has been disproven.

The rest of your statements make alot of sense, but I would like to point out, as a previous poster said, that free markets aren't really free. The U.S. has certainly imposed its fair share of tariffs and trade barriers throughout its history.

To put it quite simply, there isn't much the market can do about oil depletion. The best a free market could do would be to encourage more investment in alternative energy. Of course, the only market trigger for this is obscenely high oil prices triggered by too much demand and too little supply. By then, it would be too late. Society would at the very least suffer until replacements could be made. The coming oil crisis is not going to be solved by the free market.