Angner, Erik
(2005)
An Attempt to Understand the Nature and Origin of Hayek's Transformation.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Although the work of F. A. Hayek (1899-1992) has attracted a good deal of attention in recent years, many important questions about the nature and origin of his thought remain unanswered. This is particularly true regarding his so-called "transformation," during which he all but abandoned technical economics and instead decided to pursue broader questions in political and social philosophy. In this dissertation I examine the system of beliefs that guided his thought, and argue that a number of important questions can be usefully addressed by seeing Hayek in the light of the Natural Law tradition. I argue that there are important reasons to consider Hayek part of this tradition. Many of the central ideas of Natural Law doctrine (especially as they appear in the classical liberal philosophers of the 18th century) are clearly present in Hayek's work, and he was, as a matter of fact, under the governing influence of the Natural Law tradition for most of his life. The Natural Law connection helps account for a number of otherwise mysterious features of Hayek's work, for instance, why he adopted a theory of natural selection at the level of the group as the centerpiece of his mature theory. Moreover, the link with Natural Law doctrine goes a long way toward accounting for the immense rhetorical power of his theory. Meanwhile, I claim, Hayek's reliance on central tenets of Natural Law doctrine had important unintended, unanticipated and unwelcome consequences.
Share
| Citation/Export: |
|
| Social Networking: |
|
Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
|
| Date: |
31 January 2005 |
| Date Type: |
Completion |
| Defense Date: |
22 October 2007 |
| Approval Date: |
31 January 2005 |
| Submission Date: |
28 November 2004 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Economics |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Cultural Evolution; Group Selection; Hayek; History of Economics; Natural Law |
| Other ID: |
http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-11282004-151807/, etd-11282004-151807 |
| Date Deposited: |
10 Nov 2011 20:06 |
| Last Modified: |
14 Jun 2019 14:26 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/9820 |
Metrics
Monthly Views for the past 3 years
Plum Analytics
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
![[feed]](/images/feed-icon-32x32.png){kind=icon}