Wonderful acknowledgment. True adherents to liberalism - by either definition - have far, far, far more in common with each other than with the tyrants.
You still believe in criticisms 1-6 of your classical liberal colleagues but now see them as allies. What changed?
My conjecture is that the answer is mostly Trump plus the European right wing parties. You regarded the classical liberal/libertarian concern with state power as out of date in a world where the state, at least in the US and similar countries, was and would remain on your side, good guys. That became less clear with the rise of right wing populism, a movement hostile to both liberalisms. The effect was reinforced by the rise of illiberal progressivism on the left — they too are not your friends.
I enjoyed this essay on classical liberalism. I came to it from the other side: I was once a Hayek admirer—a partisan, really. Time and experience moderated me. I remain skeptical now, though I still admire much of his writing.
What bothers me today is related to what you call out. The Road to Serfdom confidently identified a slope before most of the evidence was in. Hayek posited an inexorable slide from welfare-state measures to tyranny. It was compelling, but the experience of postwar democracies showed no such slide. A slope was identified, but there was no sliding.
Cautious skepticism of government authority is an important democratic safeguard. But when it deforms into exaggerated fear, it can become self destructive. On the American Right, that fear has become foundational, manifesting in conspiracy thinking and rejection of expertise in the name of freedom. The irony is that excessive suspicion of freedom’s perceived enemies ends up undermining freedom itself.
The past decade has been a shock. I didn’t anticipate the rapid epistemic breakdown or how far it would reach into ordinary life. I’m still trying to understand it, and I’m curious if you see the same patterns.
interesting piece, Cass, and looking forward to the new book. I was never much of a von Mises fan (preferring Hayek from that wing of the liberal family) but I have a growing appreciation for praxeology in an era of increasingly-inhuman systems. Moreover I agree that the Austrians’ concerns about tyranny no longer seem passé.
Terrific post. If this is a key theme in the forthcoming Liberalism book, we have a lot to look forward to in its appearance.
Wonderful acknowledgment. True adherents to liberalism - by either definition - have far, far, far more in common with each other than with the tyrants.
You still believe in criticisms 1-6 of your classical liberal colleagues but now see them as allies. What changed?
My conjecture is that the answer is mostly Trump plus the European right wing parties. You regarded the classical liberal/libertarian concern with state power as out of date in a world where the state, at least in the US and similar countries, was and would remain on your side, good guys. That became less clear with the rise of right wing populism, a movement hostile to both liberalisms. The effect was reinforced by the rise of illiberal progressivism on the left — they too are not your friends.
Is my guess correct? In any case, welcome.
I enjoyed this essay on classical liberalism. I came to it from the other side: I was once a Hayek admirer—a partisan, really. Time and experience moderated me. I remain skeptical now, though I still admire much of his writing.
What bothers me today is related to what you call out. The Road to Serfdom confidently identified a slope before most of the evidence was in. Hayek posited an inexorable slide from welfare-state measures to tyranny. It was compelling, but the experience of postwar democracies showed no such slide. A slope was identified, but there was no sliding.
Cautious skepticism of government authority is an important democratic safeguard. But when it deforms into exaggerated fear, it can become self destructive. On the American Right, that fear has become foundational, manifesting in conspiracy thinking and rejection of expertise in the name of freedom. The irony is that excessive suspicion of freedom’s perceived enemies ends up undermining freedom itself.
The past decade has been a shock. I didn’t anticipate the rapid epistemic breakdown or how far it would reach into ordinary life. I’m still trying to understand it, and I’m curious if you see the same patterns.
interesting piece, Cass, and looking forward to the new book. I was never much of a von Mises fan (preferring Hayek from that wing of the liberal family) but I have a growing appreciation for praxeology in an era of increasingly-inhuman systems. Moreover I agree that the Austrians’ concerns about tyranny no longer seem passé.