Hayek, The Road to Serfdom - 27th session

January 12, 2021 (Tue), 27th session

The Road to Serfdom reading discussion, 27th online meeting: Kang Young, Dandi, Mori

Chapter 14. Material Conditions and Ideal Ends

John Milton

“Those who seek only their rightful liberty, if they gain power, always have the right to win freedom, no matter how loud the voices against liberty may be.”

Our Generation’s Economic Phobia p. 283

- A widespread attitude then, and still widespread now, is the refusal to make any sacrifice required to realize economic claims. This amounts to rejecting the very recognition that obstacles—such as conflicts with other goals—may prevent desires from being fulfilled.

- As the world around us grows more complex, it is natural for resistance to forces beyond our understanding to grow as well. People try to place all responsibility on immediate causes.

- But what made the growth of civilization possible was humanity’s submission to the impersonal forces of the market. The problem is simply that understanding is far more difficult than submission.

It warns that “in their impatient desire to escape constraints, people fail to realize that the new authoritarian constraints deliberately imposed in place of them are far more painful.”

If we turn away from the reality before our eyes and rely on authority that promises to do everything for us, it will only produce greater suffering.

The Permanent Domination of Other Ends by a Single End p. 288

- The only exception to the rule that a free society must not be subordinated to a single purpose is in cases of war or temporary disaster. Even then, this presupposes the consent of the individuals who make up that society.

We must not forget the principle that “in times of peace, no one purpose should be allowed to be preferred absolutely over all others.”

Yet those who pursue a command economy always insist that society is not at peace, that disaster is imminent, and that we are in an unstable situation, as they try to line society up behind a single purpose.

Economic Growth on Which the Realization of All Hopes Depends p. 291

- Let us not forget that one decisive factor behind the rise of totalitarianism was the existence of a middle class deprived of large amounts of property.

It is dangerous to think that when the economy worsens, people will naturally come to their senses and return to the principles of the free market economy. The history of countries around the world shows rather the opposite.

As economic conditions deteriorate and the middle class grows anxious about the future, they become fanatical supporters of political groups shouting totalitarian slogans.

The Decline of the British Political Ideal p. 293

The British political ideal is a philosophy of individualism.

- Morality is necessarily a phenomenon concerning “the conduct of the individual.”

Morality can exist only in spheres where individuals are free to decide for themselves, and where they are asked voluntarily to give up personal gain in order to observe moral rules.

- If we have no choice at all, there can be nothing praiseworthy in being altruistic. Members of a society who are “made” or “structured” to do good do not deserve praise.

- Freedom, and responsibility for its consequences: these two are the soil in which moral sensibility grows and moral values are continually recreated.

- Any movement that offers exemption from responsibility, however lofty its ideals, cannot help but be anti-moral in its effects.

- There is a widespread attitude of demanding that the authorities create a desirable state of affairs, or of saying one will obey provided everyone else is made to do the same. This means morality is disappearing.

If we pursue a warm, fatherly state, the moral sense of its citizens will gradually vanish.

“The passion for collective action is also a way in which we collectively indulge, without regret, the selfishness that we had learned to restrain a little as individuals.”

Urgent Restoration of Confidence in the British Tradition p. 298

“British strengths—independence and self-reliance, individual initiative and local responsibility, successful reliance on voluntary action, noninterference with one’s neighbors and tolerance for what is different and peculiar, respect for custom and tradition, and a healthy suspicion of power and authority—are the result of having cultivated spontaneous order.”

We must have confidence in spontaneous order. That confidence has advanced the civilization of human society to this point.

Whether that confidence comes from a vague trust in people themselves, or from trust in God who made people—whatever its source.

Anyone who would like to join the online reading group every Tuesday evening is invited to the open chat room at the link below.

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

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Original title: 하이에크 <노예의 길>-27차

Author: Ja-yujuui Ipmun Dokseo Toronmoim

Date: 2021-01-12

Source: https://www.cfe.org/bbs/bbsDetail.php?cid=reading01&pn=6&idx=23409