Do you agree or disagree?

comte

JF-Expert Member
Dec 11, 2011
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“The state should confine itself to establishing rules applying to general types of situations and should allow the individuals freedom in everything which depends on the circumstances of time and place, because only the individuals concerned in each instance can fully know these circumstances and adapt their actions to them. If the individuals are able to use their knowledge effectively in making plans, they must be able to predict actions of the state which may affect these plans. But if the actions of the state are to be predictable, they must be determined by rules fixed independently of the concrete circumstances which can be neither foreseen nor taken into account beforehand; and the particular effects of such actions will be unpredictable. If, on the other hand, the state were to direct the individual’s actions so as the achieve particular ends, its actions would have to be decided on the basis of the full circumstances of the moment and would therefore be unpredictable. Hence the familiar fact that the more the state “plans”, the more difficult planning becomes for the individual.”
― Friedrich A. Hayek, The Road to Serfdom
 
First off I am a libertarian who burrowed through Hayek and von Mises, to name just a few.

Thank you for bringing this Hayek passage.

Therefore, I agree.

Having said that, special attention must be paid to leave room for the intricacies of special cases. Lest the very action of limiting the state from central planning becomes some sort of central planning in and of itself.

I remember back in the days, I was at this libertarian party. Chatting up this lady, eventually we came to discuss public education (this bunch hated anything with "public" in it). I was towing the party line and started bashing the various US public school systems. It turned out the lady went through the public school system and defended it.

What was worse, the party host had some live music (live piano, what do you expect from a bunch of old white libertarians). The pianist I was told, was a closet Communist from Russia.

So these libertarian old farts were enjoying a party that had some people who went through public school system and a fine pianist nurtured by Communist Russia!

I detest collectivism. But. I understand complexity requires room for agility.

Let us not become the evil we deplore.
 
“The state should confine itself to establishing rules applying to general types of situations and should allow the individuals freedom in everything which depends on the circumstances of time and place, because only the individuals concerned in each instance can fully know these circumstances and adapt their actions to them. If the individuals are able to use their knowledge effectively in making plans, they must be able to predict actions of the state which may affect these plans. But if the actions of the state are to be predictable, they must be determined by rules fixed independently of the concrete circumstances which can be neither foreseen nor taken into account beforehand; and the particular effects of such actions will be unpredictable. If, on the other hand, the state were to direct the individual’s actions so as the achieve particular ends, its actions would have to be decided on the basis of the full circumstances of the moment and would therefore be unpredictable. Hence the familiar fact that the more the state “plans”, the more difficult planning becomes for the individual.”
― Friedrich A. Hayek, The Road to Serfdom
I agree! A point to note though, that would be ideal were it not for the prevalence of chaos theory in most African states ours included.
 
“The state should confine itself to establishing rules applying to general types of situations and should allow the individuals freedom in everything which depends on the circumstances of time and place, because only the individuals concerned in each instance can fully know these circumstances and adapt their actions to them. If the individuals are able to use their knowledge effectively in making plans, they must be able to predict actions of the state which may affect these plans. But if the actions of the state are to be predictable, they must be determined by rules fixed independently of the concrete circumstances which can be neither foreseen nor taken into account beforehand; and the particular effects of such actions will be unpredictable. If, on the other hand, the state were to direct the individual’s actions so as the achieve particular ends, its actions would have to be decided on the basis of the full circumstances of the moment and would therefore be unpredictable. Hence the familiar fact that the more the state “plans”, the more difficult planning becomes for the individual.”
― Friedrich A. Hayek, The Road to Serfdom
It's a beautiful passage. Haven't read Hayek before but now I will by and by. Thanks for bringing this onto my attention.
I love freedom and I therefore wholeheartedly agree with this short article.
 
It is always combination of the two, balancing state power and individual rights. It is all about balance.
 
It's a beautiful passage. Haven't read Hayek before but now I will by and by. Thanks for bringing this onto my attention.
I love freedom and I therefore wholeheartedly agree with this short article.
Lord Sauron, enjoy it
 
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