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Hayek on Liberty, 3rd Edition
Not available since the 1980s, this up-dated edition by the leading political philosopher, John Gray, outlines his new position on Hayek. In a substantial new chapter, Gray assesses how far the historical development of the last ten years can be deployed in a critique of Hayek's thought. His reassessment is not only a provoking study of a classical philosopher. It is also a timely contribution to the debate over the future of conservatism, as Gray argues that Hayekian liberalism - 'the most well-articulated political theory of the new right' - is flawed.
204 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
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About the author
John Gray
51 books910 followersJohn Nicholas Gray is a English political philosopher with interests in analytic philosophy and the history of ideas. He retired in 2008 as School Professor of European Thought at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Gray contributes regularly to The Guardian, The Times Literary Supplement and the New Statesman, where he is the lead book reviewer.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 15, 2026
Mission 2026: Binge reviewing all previous Reads, I was too slothful to review back when I read them
John Gray’s Hayek on Liberty is a masterclass in intellectual restraint. In an age of ideological shouting matches, Gray does something radical: he reads Hayek carefully. No worship. No cancellation. Just serious engagement.
This book is not merely an introduction to Friedrich Hayek; it is a critical reconstruction of Hayek’s political philosophy, especially his conception of liberty.
Gray positions Hayek as a thinker deeply suspicious of centralized power—not because he loved markets blindly, but because he distrusted human rationality when amplified by the state.
Liberty, for Hayek, is not utopian freedom; it is the absence of coercion within an imperfect world.
What makes Gray compelling is his refusal to turn Hayek into a neoliberal mascot. He acknowledges Hayek’s limitations, tensions, and internal contradictions. Hayek’s defense of spontaneous order, for example, is powerful but also ethically thin.
Markets may generate coordination, but they do not generate meaning. Gray presses this point relentlessly, showing where Hayek’s liberalism becomes vulnerable.
The book shines when it situates Hayek historically—between totalitarian nightmares and welfare-state optimism. Gray makes it clear that Hayek was reacting to real dangers, not imaginary ones. Yet he also shows how Hayek underestimated the moral role of social institutions beyond the market.
This is a demanding but rewarding book. It assumes intellectual patience. It doesn’t give you slogans; it gives you arguments.
And in a world drowning in ideological shortcuts, that alone makes it valuable.
Most recommended.
John Gray’s Hayek on Liberty is a masterclass in intellectual restraint. In an age of ideological shouting matches, Gray does something radical: he reads Hayek carefully. No worship. No cancellation. Just serious engagement.
This book is not merely an introduction to Friedrich Hayek; it is a critical reconstruction of Hayek’s political philosophy, especially his conception of liberty.
Gray positions Hayek as a thinker deeply suspicious of centralized power—not because he loved markets blindly, but because he distrusted human rationality when amplified by the state.
Liberty, for Hayek, is not utopian freedom; it is the absence of coercion within an imperfect world.
What makes Gray compelling is his refusal to turn Hayek into a neoliberal mascot. He acknowledges Hayek’s limitations, tensions, and internal contradictions. Hayek’s defense of spontaneous order, for example, is powerful but also ethically thin.
Markets may generate coordination, but they do not generate meaning. Gray presses this point relentlessly, showing where Hayek’s liberalism becomes vulnerable.
The book shines when it situates Hayek historically—between totalitarian nightmares and welfare-state optimism. Gray makes it clear that Hayek was reacting to real dangers, not imaginary ones. Yet he also shows how Hayek underestimated the moral role of social institutions beyond the market.
This is a demanding but rewarding book. It assumes intellectual patience. It doesn’t give you slogans; it gives you arguments.
And in a world drowning in ideological shortcuts, that alone makes it valuable.
Most recommended.
October 26, 2018
کتاب بدی نبود اما نوع پرداخت به موضوعات و استدلالها بیشتر به ستون روزنامه میخورد تا کتاب نظری جدی. ترجمهی خوبی هم نبود، کلمات بیمورد و معادلهای بدی برای اصطلاحات معروف استفاده کرده بود جناب دیهیمی (البته ترجمهی نسبتا قدیمیایه). دربارهی هایک، کتاب ایمون باتلر با ترجمهی بسیار خوب فریدون تفضلی رو پیشنهاد میکنم، کتاب بهتر و روانتریه.
July 20, 2020
کتاب برای مخاطب آماتور نوشته نشده و ای کاش قبل از خوندن آثار هایک به ویژه اساسنامهٔ آزادی (Constitution of liberty) این کتاب رو نمیخوندم. ولی کتاب در نوع خودش خوب بود و اطلاعات مفیدی در اختیارتون قرار میده. مهمترین عایدی این کتاب برای من، آشنایی با جهانبینی هایک دربارهٔ سیستمهای اقتصادی و ایجاد پرسش درباره نقش و جایگاه دولتها در تنظیم سیاستها بود.
April 9, 2019
این کتاب هم رفت در دستهی ناتمامهای ابدی، بهخاطر ترجمهی بد آقای خشایار دیهیمی و همچنین ثقیلبودنش در مقام کتابی مقدماتی و معرف. بهنظر من، نویسنده بیشازاندازه به دیگران ارجاع میدهد، دیگرانی که اسمشان هم به گوش ما نخورده است.
دومین کتاب مرتبط با هایک است که ناامیدم میکند. اولی راه بندگی بود با ترجمهای افتضاح از مترجمی معروف، مرحوم فریدون تفضلی. باشد که قدر ترجمهی استاد عزتالله فولادوند از کتاب در سنگر آزادی را بیشتر بدانم و شیرینی آن ترجمه مشوقم در ادامهی این راه باشد.
دومین کتاب مرتبط با هایک است که ناامیدم میکند. اولی راه بندگی بود با ترجمهای افتضاح از مترجمی معروف، مرحوم فریدون تفضلی. باشد که قدر ترجمهی استاد عزتالله فولادوند از کتاب در سنگر آزادی را بیشتر بدانم و شیرینی آن ترجمه مشوقم در ادامهی این راه باشد.
June 11, 2017
Hate him or love him, John Gray has a most penetrative knowledge of Hayek's work. He treats Hayek primarily as a philosopher akin to Marx; that is, a philosopher with a consistent outlook that reaches specific political conclusions through clever and epistemologically sound assumptions and insights on anthropology, psychology, and knowledge theory. Gray has a very good grasp of the nuances in Hayek's thought, and of his place in the history of ideas. Considering the depth and eccentricity of Hayek's theories, this is no small feat. After all, there must be a reason Hayek is consistently misunderstood and misinterpreted by most academics.
Gray's work is excellent, however, not only as a tool to understanding Hayek's conservative liberalism, but also to understanding liberalism and important aspects of political philosophy in general. His rich terminology and "geographical" taxonomy of politico-philosophical categories are very informative, and indeed useful to anyone interested in any sort of political philosophy. An excellent professor even to those who disagree with him, and most certainly an excellent book.
Gray's work is excellent, however, not only as a tool to understanding Hayek's conservative liberalism, but also to understanding liberalism and important aspects of political philosophy in general. His rich terminology and "geographical" taxonomy of politico-philosophical categories are very informative, and indeed useful to anyone interested in any sort of political philosophy. An excellent professor even to those who disagree with him, and most certainly an excellent book.
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June 29, 2025Me gustó como panorámica de las premisas de la obra de Hayek, a quien muchas veces se simplifica mucho o se caricaturiza. A ratos la exposición era demasiado rápida, eso sí. Y el apéndice/post scriptum parece escrito por otro autor. Si el grueso del libro intenta acercarnos a una interpretación benevolente conservadora-liberal de Hayek, esa última sección le dispara con todo a sus fisuras, sobre todo discutiendo la utilidad de las ideas de Hayek para un mundo (esta edición es de 1998) donde ya no existen las economías centralmente planificadas.
January 5, 2023
nul on comprend rien
April 8, 2012
I read the first edition. Gray has since embraced a faux-nuanced anti-progress "progressivism" that strikes me as vastly less impressive than the ideas he now discards. His early edition was a helpful if not completely reliable guide to Hayek's thought.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews