Hayek, evolution, and spontaneous order

Abstract

Introduction The writings of Friedrich Hayek (1899–1992) embody a notable attempt to apply evolutionary ideas from biology to social science. His conception of socioeconomic and cultural evolution is the centerpiece of his mature theory, and it relates to such topics as his theory of law, the structure of political institutions, the nature of markets, and the critique of socialism and “constructivism.” It is the object of this chapter to examine Hayek's evolutionary thinking. Although it is one of the most developed applications of evolutionary biology to socioeconomic theory, it reveals many problems. The chapter commences by addressing some fundamental evolutionary concepts and issues, namely, Hayek's attitude to Darwin, social Darwinism and sociobiology, as well as the question of the chosen analogy to the gene and its relation to his methodological individualism. Subsequently we focus on Hayek's theory of group selection, his notion of “spontaneous order,” his conception of the market, and his policy conclusions. A number of questions hang over Hayek's characterization of the nature and processes of evolution. For instance, he repeatedly and proudly displays his own intellectual genealogy through Carl Menger, back to Adam Smith, David Hume, and Bernard de Mandeville. However, he does not seem to realize that their work is not equivalent to Darwinian evolution or natural selection in a fully specified sense. This search for genealogical roots in the works of Mandeville and the Scottish school thus leads to an attempt to diminish the significance of the Darwinian revolution and even the novelty of Darwin's own contribution to evolutionary theory.