The Constitution of Liberty by Friedrich A. Hayek

Not only has liberty nothing to do with any other sort of equality, but it is even bound to produce inequality in many respects. This extension of the principle of equality to the rules of moral and social conduct is the chief expression of what is commonly called the democratic spirit-and probably that aspect of it that does most to make inoffensive the inequalities that liberty necessarily produces.Įquality of the general rules of law and conduct, however, is the only kind of equality conducive to liberty and the only equality which we can secure without destroying liberty. This equality under the rules which the state enforces may be supplemented by a similar equality of the rules that men voluntarily obey in their relations with one another. The great aim of the struggle for liberty has been equality before the law. Guided by this quality, he elegantly demonstrates that a free market system in a democratic polity-under the rule of law and with strong constitutional protections of individual rights-represents the best chance for the continuing existence of liberty.I have no respect for the passion for equality, which seems to me merely idealizing envy. In opposition to those who call for the state to play a greater role in society, Hayek puts forward a nuanced argument for prudence. Here Hayek defends the principles of a free society, casting a skeptical eye on the growth of the welfare state and examining the challenges to freedom posed by an ever expanding government-as well as its corrosive effect on the creation, preservation, and utilization of knowledge. The book is considered Hayek’s classic statement on the ideals of freedom and liberty, ideals that he believes have guided-and must continue to guide-the growth of Western civilization. The latest entry in the University of Chicago Press’s series of newly edited editions of Hayek’s works, The Constitution of Liberty is, like Serfdom, just as relevant to our present moment.

The book has since sold over 150,000 copies.

Hayek, whose passionate warning against empowering states with greater economic control, The Road to Serfdom, became an overnight sensation last summer when it was endorsed by Glenn Beck. Enter Nobel Prize–winning economist and political theorist F. From the $700 billion bailout of the banking industry to president Barack Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package to the highly controversial passage of federal health-care reform, conservatives and concerned citizens alike have grown increasingly fearful of big government.

The Constitution of Liberty by Friedrich A. Hayek