Liberalism, Conservatism, and Hayek's Idea of Spontaneous Order [Paperback]

For Hayek, spontaneous order - the emergence of complex order as the unintended consequence of individual actions that have no such end in view - is both the origin of the Great Society and its underlying principle. These sometimes critical essays assess Hayek's position and argue that his work can inform contemporary social and political dilemmas.Introduction Governing the Great Society; P.McNamara PART I: FUNDAMENTAL THEMES Unintended Order Explanations in Adam Smith and the Scottish Enlightenment; J.Otteson The Origin and Scope of Hayek's Idea of Spontaneous Order; L.Hunt PART II: CRITICAL REFLECTIONS Knight's Challenge (to Hayek): Spontaneous Order is Not Enough for Governing a Liberal Society; R.B.Emmett F. A. Hayek, Michael Oakeshott, and the Concept of Spontaneous Order; R.Boyd& J.Morrison Spontaneous Order and the Problem of Religious Revolution; S.Yenor Friedrich Hayek's Darwinian Conservatism; L.Arnhart Social Complexity and Evolved Moral Principles; G.Gaus Culture, Order and Virtue; M.C.Munger The Limits of Spontaneous Order: Skeptical Reflections on a Hayekian Theme; J.Z.Muller

This is a great introduction to the thought of Friedrich Hayek. Collections of essays on a single author are rarely this good. Hayek is measured both against his greatest predecessors (David Hume, Adam Smith) and against developments going on now in the sciences of biology, economics, and political theory. I believe that any reader - whatever his previous exposure to Hayek - will come away with a better understanding of both the significance of Hayek s writings and the problems he left unresolved.

- John W. Danford, Professor of Political Science, Loyola University Chicago

This collection is a welcome contribution to the growing scholarly interest in the legacy of F.A. Hayek. It includes a critical assessment of Hayek's key ideas of Spontaneous Order and the Great Society. Focusing on the application of Spontaneous Order across tlÃo