F. A. Hayek’s Law, Legislation and Liberty is one of the key texts of classical liberalism. It provides a subtle argument that the social structures on which civilisation is built are not the product of state plans or activist dreams, but instead emerge from a Darwinian process of ‘cultural evolution’. Yet despite its influence on politicians from Ronald Reagan to Javier Milei, to a non-specialist Law, Legislation and Liberty, published in three volumes from 1973 to 1978, can seem a daunting read. Hayek made little attempt to make his long and detailed arguments, often confusingly laid out and with little explanation, comprehensible to the general reader. Dr Eamonn Butler, author of Classical Liberalism – A Primer and An Introduction to Capitalism, has written this guide to assist non-specialists approach this monumental text. Butler offers a straightforward and accessible guide to this key work of twentieth-century liberal thought, without downplaying the complex nature of Hayek’s philosophy. He approaches the topic sympathetically but not uncritically while bringing in real-world examples to illuminate Hayek’s ideas.
Table of Contents:
CONTENTS
About the author
Foreword
Introduction
PART ONE
THE THEMES, RELEVANCE, ORIGINS AND
WRITING OF LAW, LEGISLATION AND LIBERTY
1 What Law, Legislation and Liberty is about
2 Why Law, Legislation and Liberty remains important
important
3 Hayek and Law, Legislation and Liberty
4 The writing of Law, Legislation and Liberty
5 A quick tour of Law, Legislation and Liberty
PART TWO
A READING GUIDE TO LAW, LEGISLATION AND LIBERTY
6 Where to start
7 Chapters 1–6: Rules and Order
8 Chapters 7–11: The Mirage of Social Justice
9 Chapters 12–18: The Political Order of a Free People
PART THREE
REFLECTIONS AND CRITICISMS
10 Reflections on Law, Legislation and Liberty
11 Criticisms of Law, Legislation and Liberty
12 The relevance of Law, Legislation and Liberty
References
About the IEA
About the Author :
Eamonn Butler is Director of the Adam Smith Institute, one of the world’s leading policy think tanks. He holds degrees in economics and psychology, a PhD in philosophy and an honorary DLitt. In the 1970s he worked in Washington, DC, for the US House of Representatives, and taught philosophy at Hillsdale College, Michigan, before returning to the UK to co-found the Adam Smith Institute. He has won the Freedom Medal of Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, the UK National Free Enterprise Award and the Hayek Institute Lifetime Achievement Award; his film Secrets of the Magna Carta won an award at the Anthem Film Festival; and his book Foundations of a Free Society won the Fisher Prize. Eamonn’s other books include introductions to the pioneering economists Adam Smith, Milton Friedman, F. A. Hayek and Ludwig von Mises. He has also published primers on classical liberalism, public choice, capitalism, democracy, trade, economic inequality, the Austrian School of Economics and great liberal thinkers, as well as The Condensed Wealth of Nations and The Best Book on the Market. He is co-author of Forty Centuries of Wage and Price Controls, and of a series of books on IQ. He is a frequent contributor to print and online media.
