F.A. Hayek...what am I getting myself into?

[Sammy Pepys]

A buddy of mine at work, who is a Republican with a bit of a libertarian streak, has lent me a book called "The Road to Serfdom" by F.A. Hayek.

It sounds familiar, but I don't know much about it. He was very upfront (but cordial) in saying it might challenge some of my views, and I'm not afraid of it because of that...I just don't know much about this book, aside from quickly flipping through it and seeing chapters about Nazis and stuff like that. I need some progressive perspective on this. Thanks.

[leveymg]

1. Read it skeptically, but I think you'll see a genuine thread of good

common sense and respect for the dignity of the individual there. He's a free market theorist, but an interesting one. Enjoy. If you're pleasantly surprised, GOOGLE "Austrian School" and start digging through that.

BTW: Hayek was very anti-Nazi, anti-Fascist, and anti-monopoly corporatist.

[Sammy Pepys]

3. Cool. Thanks.

I wasn't sure if it had any scholarly merit, or if it was more of a rambling diatribe kind of thing. If it was the latter, I wasn't going to read it.

[orwell]

2. F.A. Hayek

...is a proponent of the "Austrian School" of economics. As such, the book is a good introduction into this line of economic thought.

A lot of free market proponents will quote works by economists such as Hayek or Adam Smith selectively. When you actually read these books, you will find that they are far more even handed toward subjects like competition, free markets, concentrations of power, and even environmental concerns, than the current group of ideologues. Of particular interest is Hayek's rather scathing comments about some so-called conservatives.

I would recommend the book, but not for the reasons that your friend would imagine. It is on my bookshelf.

[Sammy Pepys]

5. Cool..thanks

Now I'm really interested.

[Warpy]

10. Heh, I was about to say that Hayek was used by the

right fringers much the same way as they use their bibles. They pick and choose and end up misunderstanding the whole thing.

[Captain Hilts]

4. Read "The Fatal Conceit" instead.

Hayek's a terrific writer, actually.

He points out the most important product of the free market is information.

He also acknowledges that culture plays a vital role in economics.

Where I, and most political liberals, get off the reservation is when he has no solution for when the information the market gives us isn't beneficial. What to do when Laissez faire isn't enough.

[Cassandra]

6. Having met a Hayek fan who was a screaming wingnut...

I really have to wonder, though. I guess even a good idea can be twisted around.

[Sammy Pepys]

7. Yeah....

I've been pulling up some google stuff here and there, and he certainly is adored by conservatives....Nobel Prize winner, too. I'll have to check it out.

My co-worker playfully refuses to elaborate more...just keeps saying "Read the book, and tell me what you think."

[Cassandra]

8. Someone I know recommended a book by...

Rabbi Daniel Lappin. Now that he's been exposed as particularly comfy cozy with Abramoff, I'm glad I didn't bother. That and he's a neocon, bigoted little shit.

[Sammy Pepys]

9. Naw, this is a good guy....n/t

...

[Odin2005]

11. Wasn't it Hayek who started the...

"Democracy requires lassez fair capitalism and anything moving away from that is a slipper slope that the way to soviet totalitarian socialism" neo-liberal BS that was used by the Reaganites to demonize government intervention in the economy?

[Sammy Pepys]

12. I'm about halfway through....

...and haven't seen anything like that yet. In fact, he seems pretty sympathetic to the idea of regulation in certain areas.

But that said, I'm only halfway through...so who knows.

[LiberalPartisan]

13. Read Karl Popper when you're done

Hayek evolved to become more a philosopher than an economist. Popper makes a nice counter to Hayek. Popper's Open Society and it's Enemies is a good place to start.

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

14. It's basically the Bible for hardcore economic libertarians.

I've not actually read it myself, but from what I've heard, he lays out his arguments against government influence over any part of the economy, and his case of unrestrained laissez-faire. He was a leading opponent of corporate welfare though.

UPDATE: It seems I really do need to read Hayek fully. I think I've been abiding under a flase perception of his ideas. The same thing happened when I read Adam Smith, and found that the right has twisted around a lot of what has really says.