Posted on 05/30/2004 3:28:22 PM PDT by xsysmgr
Edited on 07/12/2004 3:42:14 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
This is the 60th anniversary of the publication of "Road to Serfdom," by Friedrich Hayek. It is one of the most important books of the 20th century, as important as the publication of "Das Kapital" was, in its malign way, in the 19th.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
"Road to Serfdom" is required reading.
Essential reading.
Will have to read it. Marxism is alive and well in the hearts of acadamia. When I took my first adult education class I was surprised to learn that Marx is considered a leading educator.
Absolute bump!
RE yer Tag: Huxley? BNW Revisited? More ER!
Reading it now, and it is without a doubt the most frightening book I have read yet.
One of the classic statements of Western philosophy is : The unexamined life is not worth living. Obviously, socialism does not have the essential component of SELF-criticism. When "socialist man" speaks, everyone else MUST listen - OR DIE. The socialist can never be wrong about anything, in his own eyes. Everyone else must be forced to convert. So we have disastrous utopian "experiments" such as the extreme communism of Pol Pot in Cambodia.
In socialism, many things are forbidden, all else is compulsory.
The "neo-socialists" or "socialist lites" who populate the liberal bastions of power and influence would deny this wholeheartedly.
This issue deserves much more thorough discussion and argumentation. Others have done it quite well.
Suggested references: The Black Book of Communism, Leftist Illusions, among many others. Mises.org, too, has interesting articles, books and essays online that argue convincingly that nazism, fascism, communism and socialism are ONE AND THE SAME in their ideological roots, utopian fervor and "heresy."
Great ribute to a great thinker. Thanks for posting this.
1) Socialism tells the intellectual, you are more intelligent than the other people.
2) Everything will be Right if you (the Intellectual) have total power, because you are not only more intelligent, you are more moral than those other, lower people.
3) You, the Intellectual, as a more morally, culturally and socially advanced Person, have the right to use the total power of the Omnipotent and Omnibenevolent State to order other people's lives to suit your prejudices. And shoot the one who deny Your personal Godhood.
Hayek was a wise but moderate man.
Wonderful and insightful book. One chapter (think it's 5) titled "Why the worst get on top" was brilliant.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1762
Which of course, is a fools errand.
The book sounds like a great read, but I have to disagree with the author's statement quoted above.
"Intellectuals" are not inclined by nature to be socialists or communists. If that were true, then our Constitution--and the world's greatest nation--would never have ever been created. Our countries founding fathers were some of the most intellectually great men to have ever lived. And history yields many examples of great thinkers and great nations that were not socialist or communist.
Unfortunately, however, our modern institutions of "higher learning" have been hijacked by Marxists "educators" and these people have a profound influence over the thinking of our nation's emerging "intellectual" youth. Brainwashing is not difficult, particularly when you have fresh young minds with which to work (and uninvolved parents who are either working too hard to meet their tax burdens, or are too busy with their liberal ideals of self-involvement).
That is the key to overthrowing a country from within: seize the minds of the nation's youth (and the non-intellectual masses of society). The Marxists know this. That is why socialism has spread to every level of education (and why the NEA is paying for expensive prime-time TV advertising to get even younger children into "preschool" indoctrination classes).
They don't just disbelieve in god, but despise the very concept.
Afterall, HE created Human Nature, which is their arch enemy.
2) The scholars (not "intellectuals")(yes, I make the distinction, it may be a vanity, but I think it's valid) who wrote the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Federalist Papers were utterly different from the "intellectuals" of today. They had not drunk at the poisoned well of Marxism. It was not their vanity that they should have utter political power to themselves; rather, they deeply mistrusted centralized government. Modern "intellectuals" worship centralized government. It is their Great Wet Dream that they should be in control of Leviathan. (As Wet Willie might say, being President is a great way to pick up chicks. And screw everyone else.)
"Human Action" by Ludwig von Mises, published before Hayek's work, was far more incisive and influential. Besides, Hayek was a former Socialist who recognized the error of his ways, but von Mises began as a laissez-faire Capitalist and had it right all along.
"Human Action" by Ludwig von Mises, published before Hayek's work, was far more incisive and influential. Besides, Hayek was a former Socialist who recognized the error of his ways, but von Mises began as a laissez-faire Capitalist and had it right all along.
bump
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.