Prolegomenon

Abstract

Hayek contended that the Open Society has evolved beyond basic human inclinations and capacities. We will consider his three Unsettling Theses. First, that the Open Society is fundamentally at odds with our evolved moral intuitions. Second, that the Open Society’s complexity surpasses our capacity to understand the function and justification of its constitutive rules. Third, that the Open Society has evolved beyond our governance. These concerns apparently manifest in our daily politics. Because of the first, we are constantly tempted to morally renounce, and construct barriers to, The Open Society. Because of the second, our attempts to reflect on and reconstruct its rules generate unrelenting moral conflict. Because of the third, we lack the knowledge to competently improve the functioning of the Open Society, and so we are always disappointed with our politics. Hayek’s diagnoses of these systems, long dismissed, resonate with a large body of contemporary scientific work and thus merit deeper investigation and possible revision. This will be done across inquiries into each one of Hayek’s Unsettling Theses. The first inquiry considers the problem of our evolved moral nature, and whether we are by nature parochial egalitarians who rebel at diversity, inclusion and impartiality. The second inquiry analyses the Open Society itself, particularly its autocatalytic diversity and constant change. The third inquiry focuses on whether the open society is beyond governance.