''The Constitution of Liberty'' is the

magnum opus A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...

Austrian economist The Austrian School is a heterodox school of economic thought that advocates strict adherence to methodological individualism, the concept that social phenomena result exclusively from the motivations and actions of individuals. Austrian school ...

and 1974

Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, officially the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel ( sv, Sveriges riksbanks pris i ekonomisk vetenskap till Alfred Nobels minne), is an economics award administered ...

recipient Friedrich A. Hayek. First published in 1960 by the

University of Chicago Press The University of Chicago Press is the largest and one of the oldest university presses in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including ''The Chicago Manual of Style'', ...

, the book is considered Hayek’s classic statement on the ideals of freedom and liberty, ideals that he believes have guided—and must continue to guide—the growth of Western civilization. It is an interpretation of civilization as being made possible by the fundamental principles of

liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

, which the author presents as prerequisites for wealth and growth, rather than liberty proceeding from wealth and growth. Hayek narrowly defines "Liberty" as absence of coercion by any person or institution. ''The Constitution of Liberty'' was notably held up at a British Conservative Party policy meeting and banged on the table by

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

, who reportedly interrupted a presentation to indicate, in reference to the book, that "This is what we believe".

Part I – The Value of Freedom

* 1.

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

and Liberties * 2. The Creative Powers of a Free

Civilization A civilization (or civilisation) is any complex society characterized by the development of a state, social stratification, urbanization, and symbolic systems of communication beyond natural spoken language (namely, a writing system). ...

* 3. The Common Sense of

Progress Progress is the movement towards a refined, improved, or otherwise desired state. In the context of progressivism, it refers to the proposition that advancements in technology, science, and social organization have resulted, and by extension w ...

* 4. Freedom,

Reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, ...

, and

Tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

* 5. Responsibility and Freedom * 6.

Equality Equality may refer to: Society * Political equality, in which all members of a society are of equal standing ** Consociationalism, in which an ethnically, religiously, or linguistically divided state functions by cooperation of each group's elit ...

, Value, and Merit * 7. Majority Rule * 8. Employment and

Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

Part II – Freedom and the Law

* 9. Coercion and the State * 10. Law, Commands, and Order * 11. The Origins of the Rule of Law * 12. The American Contribution:

Constitutionalism Constitutionalism is "a compound of ideas, attitudes, and patterns of behavior elaborating the principle that the authority of government derives from and is limited by a body of fundamental law". Political organizations are constitutional ...

* 13. Liberalism and Administration: The

Rechtsstaat ''Rechtsstaat'' (lit. "state of law"; "legal state") is a doctrine in continental European legal thinking, originating in Dutch and German jurisprudence. It can be translated into English as "rule of law", alternatively "legal state", state of ...

* 14. The Safeguards of Individual Liberty * 15. Economic Policy and the Rule of Law * 16. The Decline of the Law

Part III – Freedom in the
Welfare State A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equita ...

* 17. The Decline of

Socialism Socialism is a left-wing Economic ideology, economic philosophy and Political movement, movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to Private prop ...

and the Rise of the Welfare State * 18.

Labor Unions A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (su ...

and Employment * 19. Social Security * 20. Taxation and Redistribution * 21. The Monetary Framework * 22. Housing and Town Planning * 23. Agriculture and Natural Resources * 24. Education and Research Postscript: Why I am Not a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Reception

''The Constitution of Liberty'' was placed 9th on the list of the 100 best non-fiction books of the twentieth century compiled by the biweekly conservative magazine ''

National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief ...

''.

Editions

* 1960. ''The Constitution of Liberty'', Chicago: University of Chicago Press. * 1960. ''The Constitution of Liberty,'' London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. * 1963. ''The Constitution of Liberty,'' London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. * 1972. ''The Constitution of Liberty,'' Gateway edition, paperback. Chicago: Regnery. * 1976. ''The Constitution of Liberty,'' London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. * 1978. ''The Constitution of Liberty,'' Phoenix edition, paperback. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. * 1990. ''The Constitution of Liberty,'' Paperback. London: Routledge. * 2006. ''The Constitution of Liberty,'' New edition, Routledge Classics. London: Routledge. * 2011. ''The Constitution of Liberty: The Definitive Edition'', Ronald Hamowy, ed., v. 17, ''The Collected Works of F A. Hayek''. University of Chicago Press.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Constitution of Liberty, The 1960 non-fiction books Books about capitalism Books by Friedrich Hayek Conservatism University of Chicago Press books

Contents

Part I – The Value of Freedom

Part II – Freedom and the Law

Part III – Freedom in the
Welfare State A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equita ...

Reception

See also

Editions

References

External links

Contents

Part I – The Value of Freedom

Part II – Freedom and the Law

Part III – Freedom in the Welfare State A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equita ...

Reception

See also

Editions

References

External links

Part III – Freedom in the
Welfare State A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equita ...