Hayek on Moral Values & Altruism

Friedrich Hayek discusses the three sources of moral values, and the role of altruism in an extended society.

More on this subject can be found in the epilogue to 'Law Legislation & Liberty'(vol3) and in 'The Fatal Conceit'. Both of which are available free by clicking the link below.

https://sites.google.com/site/malthus0splace/home/hayek/political-theory

This is an excerpt from a longer interview which can be found here http://www.vimeo.com/4063439.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Friedrich
• Hayek
• Moral
• Values
• Altruism
• Social
• Evolution
• natural
• selection

[BrutusAlbion]

Hayek talk's as if free market capitalism is invented by nature as a moral tradition and that man should follow his natural path instead of trying to fight his innate tendencies. There he forgets that these moral traditions are invented just as well by intellectuals as any other form of sociëty. Falsely assuming that your theories are right about the values men hold is not the firmest base to support your theories on human societal planning.

[Malthus0]

@BrutusAlbion ''and that man should follow his natural path instead of trying to fight his innate tendencies''

No Hayek is saying that we should NOT follow our innate or 'natural' tendencies.

''he forgets that these moral traditions are invented'' No he does not. He is fully aware of the 'inventors' of morality from Moses to Marx. Who assumed that what felt natural was right.

He is saying that culture is neither natural nor artificial. It is the third intermediate source of human values.

[BrutusAlbion]

@Malthus0 I think he clearly said that the 2nd level of morals were traditions, the 3rd level are the intellectual imaginations and ideals we thrust upon the world such as marx.

[Malthus0]

@BrutusAlbion That is correct, I did not intend to signal otherwise.

[MortenDanPedersen]

@Malthus0: Hayak is not talking about morality but about market mechanisms. Any market will automaticly follow these tendancies. It´s like the law of gravity.

[Malthus0]

@MortenDanPedersen ''Hayak is not talking about morality but about market mechanisms'' I don't understand what you mean. Hayek is talking about his theory of group selection, where competition between social groups leads to the evolution of moral values. This process is not a market process.

[Questfortruth86]

Absolutely brilliant. Thank you malthus.

Markets incentivize altruism. I serve the needs of those I don't even know because of the market mechanism--because of the extended order. "It's a miracle that Paris gets fed."

[Nintendomanwill]

It's absolutely remarkable, Hayek's whole logical framework of societal evolution is always exactly the same as mine. I've often spoken about those mores which are exogenous of society and endogenous from it; the latter being those mores which are historical phenomena and possibly restrictive of property rights, for example the codification of property rights such as Tapu in Maori civilisation. The exogenous forces on society, which are necessary for co-operation are those Hayek calls innate.

[doubledubdiggins]

he has a hitler mustache

[PrivateAckbar]

@BrutusAlbion According to natural law you have the right to do anything it is within your power to do. To a classical liberal the only caveat you make to this is the non-aggression principal, and that principal provides the pacifism most consistent with prosperity. Free market capitalism isn't designed the way we try to design socialism. We create Adam Smith's invisible hand through our free actions not by assuming the right to force.

[999qoou]

"by persuing profit, we are being as altruistic as we can be"

woooord!

[XpEAnUTBuTtERsUckSX]

Why be altruistic for the sake of satisfying that innate desire to be so when you can serve the interests of others more efficiently by looking out for yours?

[CloverfieldMonster95]

@Questfortruth86 How would that still retain to be true Altruism? True Altruism is expecting nothing in return. Right?

[Myndir]

@BrutusAlbion Non-intellectual moral traditions are not invented. They are evolved. That is Hayek's key point.

He makes a big point about fighting natural tendencies. A key thesis of Hayek is that civilisation requires that we fight against our natural instincts, which was why he didn't like Freudians. Our instincts are partial and inconsistent, whereas an advanced civilisation needs rules that are impartial and consistent.

[Alias828]

Wow, and to think i had a good thought when i remembered to brush my teeth this morning.

[god0fgod]

Example: I make iPhone apps. I haven't got a clue who most of the people are who download them. The advertisers who use iAd through my apps and others, I don't know who all of them are.

All I know is that a few of the apps make me money so I must be providing value to certain people.