F. A. Hayek on Social Evolution and the Origins of Tradition

Professor Hayek discusses the evolution of morality and social norms, arguing that they result from unplanned, emergent orders.

F. A. Hayek

F. A. Hayek, the 1974 Nobel Memorial Prize winner in Economic Sciences, was an economist and philosopher best known for his defense of classical liberalism and free-market capitalism against socialist and collectivist thought.

In this exclusive video, Nobel-​laureate F. A. Hayek presents a paper at George Mason University. Professor Hayek discusses the evolution of morality and social norms, arguing that they result from unplanned, emergent processes and so are not the direct result of applied human reason. He discusses this conclusion by contrasting it with other philosophical accounts of law and morality.