Hayek, Mill, and the Liberal Tradition

In the writings of Austrian economist Friedrich von Hayek (1899-1992), John Stuart Mill is presented as having weakened and undermined the foundations of classical liberalism and provided the intellectual basis for interventionist and socialistic legislative interventions in the economy, according to Farrant (economics, Dickinson College). He presents six papers that question this Hayekian view of classical liberalism, with some questioning the accuracy of Hayek's understanding of Mill's ideas (as well as the ideas of Adam Smith and other members of the liberal tradition) while others promote a conception of the liberal tradition that is broader than the Hayekian view. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Andrew Farrant is Assistant Professor of Economics at Dickinson College.