Postrel endorses the former, illustrates the differences between the two, and argues that dynamism should be embraced rather than feared.

Richard Ebeling wrote a positive review for the Future of Freedom Foundation in May 1999.

He remarked, Postrel's book stands out as one of the best popular defenses of the ideal of a free society precisely because she covers the skeletal principles of liberty with the flesh and blood of history, everyday real life, and examples of things around us that we take for granted.

Edward Younkins, a professor at Wheeling Jesuit University, wrote for the journal Free Life praising the book as a "brilliant, bold, and compelling new work".

He also referred to it as "a must-read for anyone interested in commerce, technology, public policy, and the search for truth in a dynamic world.