November 13-15, 2009 - Arlington, VA

Theodore A. Burczak’s book, Socialism After Hayek, makes the claim that the classical goals of socialism can be achieved without central planning and the abolition of private property. His intent is, first, to offer a meaningful notion of socialism for the postmodern age and then to answer Hayek’s epistemological critique.  Burczak reasons as follows: (1) since Hayek believes markets cannot be defined independently of a legal framework (that is, that law governs contracts and property rights); and (2) since Hayek’s own account of knowledge shows there is no such thing as “legal neutrality” (that is, the law expresses the interests or biases of certain groups); then (3) Hayek’s claim that the market system serves the interests of the poor as well as the rich is dubious. Burczak then offers an argument on behalf of deliberative democracy as the ultimate determinant of law.

Such a critique of Hayek is particularly pertinent today, and Burczak’s book represents the first serious scholarly attempt to defend socialism using Hayekian principles. By pairing Burczak’s book with selections from Hayek’s own corpus, this program will offer participants the opportunity to assess the accuracy and effectiveness of this criticism of Hayekian liberalism.

Discussion Leader: Steven Horwitz 

Session I : Hayek on Knowledge and Law

Hayek, Friedrich A. "The Use of Knowledge in Society," American Economic Review, September 1945. pp. 519-530

Hayek, Friedrich A. "The Changing Concept of Law," Law, Legislation, and Liberty, Volume I: Rules and Orders. University of Chicago: 1973. pp. 72-93

Session II: Hayek, Marx, Socialism, and Hayek’s Post-Modern Economics

Burczak, Theodore A. "Foreward," "Hayek, Marx, and Socialism," & "Hayek's Postmodern Economics," Socialism After Hayek. University of Michigan Press: 2006. pp. vi-vii, 1-16, 17-37

Session III: Hayek’s Theory of the Common Good and Recasting Hayek’s Good Society

Burczak, Theodore A. "Hayek's Theory of Common Good" & "Recasting Hayek's Good Society,"  Socialism After Hayek. University of Michigan Press: 2006. pp. 38-57, 58-81

Session IV: Social Justice and Socialist Appropriative Justice

Hayek, Friedrich A. "Social or Distributive Justice," Law, Legislation, and Liberty, Volume I: Rules and Orders. University of Chicago: 1973. pp. 62-100

Burczak, Theodore A. "Social Justice and the Hayekian Knowledge Problem" & "Socialist Appropriative Justice and the Labor-Managed Firm,"  Socialism After Hayek. University of Michigan Press: 2006. pp. 82-100, 101-121

Session V: Reason, Rationality, and Orders

Hayek, Friedrich A. "Cosmos & Taxis," Law, Legislation, and Liberty, Volume I: Rules and Orders. University of Chicago: 1973. pp. 33-54

Hayek, Friedrich A. "Two Kinds of Rationalism," Studies in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. University of Chicago Press: 1980. pp. 82-95

Session VI: Socialist Distributive Justice and Socialism After Hayek

Burczak, Theodore A. "Socialist Distributive Justice and the Stakeholder Society" & "Socialism after Hayek,"  Socialism After Hayek. University of Michigan Press: 2006. pp. 122-137, 138-153