by Alex Moseley Peace & Change Volume 27 Number 1.
"In his later works, the economist and philosopher, Friedrich Hayek, presented an attractive theory of social evolution that emphasized tacitly accepted expectations and rules of conduct. Hayek's main interest was in exploring the weaknesses of rationalist policies, especially how they affected the market economy, which in his mind presented the greatest potential for both the exploitation of knowledge and the advancement of peace. Yet Hayek did not explicitly apply his theory to the problem of war. This paper provides an outline of his theory and argues that it relates well to understanding war's nature and origins, as well as the limitations faced by attempts to control or abolish war."
Posted by Greg Ransom at May 6, 2004 12:49 AM | TrackBackMosley's piece was useful in trying to takle evolutionary models in new directions. However, his conclusion - that war cannot be abolished by deliberate political action, and the best preventive in the long run is the market, is incomplete.
As was discussed on the Hayek list, liberal democracies are unique in not figting wars with others of their own kind. R. J. Rummel was the first to explore this issue and he and I (to a smaller degree) have both emphasized the usefulness of Hayek's insights in explaining why - primarily that democracies are spontaneous orders in Hayek's sense, and not hierarchical organizations such as undemocratic states. Mosley's arguments would have benefitted substantially if he had paid attention to our earlier work, even if he disagrees.
One of the implications of an analysis such as I have suggested is that we need to be very wary of attempts by political leaders to turn open democratic political processes into closed organized ones because that increases their capacity to avoid or override democratic dynamics, thereby escalating the chances for war.
The actions of the current administration should appal any genuine sympathizer of Hayek's work. Truly they are acting as if it is necessary to destroy democracy in order to save it.
Posted by: Gus diZerega at May 10, 2004 12:12 PM