Hayek, The Road to Serfdom – 23rd session

Tuesday, December 15, 2020, 23rd session

The Road to Serfdom Reading Discussion, 23rd online meeting: Mori, Kangyoung, Dandi

Heresy Controversy 1 (1589)

Freedom in Joseon in the year of Gichuk.

Song Si-yeol, the teacher of the young King Hyojong of Joseon after the devastation of the Qing invasion, submitted the Gi-chuk Memorial and taught what principles must absolutely be upheld in politics.

It was that the humiliation inflicted by the barbarian Manchus of the Qing must never be forgotten, whether for 5 years or 10 years.

Another teacher, Yun Seon-do, taught something different and was sent into exile on Bogil Island. His teaching was that, since circumstances had changed in reality, was it not necessary, however reluctantly, to normalize relations with the Qing?

Thus were born the great orthodox and heretical doctrines of Joseon.

Heresy Controversy 2 (2020)

There was an intense heresy controversy between Mori, who sought to derive the origin of freedom from human nature—from selfishness, from the desire to become rich—and Dandi, who sought to derive it from the desire for salvation.

Heresy Controversy 3 (1919)

The Bolshevik Revolution

The first attempt by communists, who viewed human freedom as economic freedom—that is, freedom from money troubles—was equal distribution: work the same and share the same.

They thought that if everyone got up at the same time, did the same work for the same amount of time, and shared equally, the problem of money would be solved. Rejoicing as though they had finally found the way, they soon came to realize that people do not, in fact, work equally.

They came face to face with the fact that in a society without incentives—that is, without desire—people pursue their desires through rest, in other words, by not working.

After much deliberation, they shifted their position from fairness to guarantees, and, for those uncomfortable with communism, put on the mask of socialism, seeking a solution in economic security.

They argued that if everyone were guaranteed a certain minimum level, at least in money matters, freedom could be granted, and that this was a science—a social science—like mathematics, a law of nature, and they published countless books and papers to that effect.

Hayek, however, warned that except in matters that only God could resolve, indiscriminate guarantees would inevitably entail depriving others of the results of their efforts and achievements, accompanied by the insecurity of others, and that maintaining such insecurity would turn society into something rigid and mechanical, like the military.

From the heresy controversy between Mori and Dandi—that is, a debate based on the idea that each individual pursues personal desires as he or she sees fit—there emerged yet another heresy: a wholly different and truly heretical doctrine, claiming that desire is not something individuals pursue on their own, but something the state must redistribute fairly.

If you would like to join the online reading group every Tuesday evening, we invite you to the open chat room at the link below.

https://open.kakao.com/o/gX3OIqtb

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Original title: 하이에크 <노예의 길>-23차

Author: Jayujuui Ipmun Dokseotoronmoim

Date: 2020-12-15

Source: https://www.cfe.org/bbs/bbsDetail.php?cid=reading01&pn=7&idx=23361