Friedricha Augusta von Hayeka krytyka konserwatyzmu

Abstract

The article analyzes Friedrich August von Hayek’s critique of conservatism. Hayek explores this theme in his essay ‘Why I am not a Conservative.’ Aiming to clarify that he is not a conservative, as some commentators suggest, he delineates the differences between conservatism and classical liberalism. The article examines Hayek’s arguments, discussing the conservative aversion to change, which positions them as weak defenders of liberty, and topics like the conservative emphasis on authority, attitude towards democracy, incorporating ethics and religion into politics, and introducing mysticism into societal considerations. This paper evaluates the validity of the criticisms by contrasting Hayek’s theses with views from selected conservative thinkers. The analysis concludes that Hayek’s libertarian approach contrasts significantly with conservative preservationism. Hayek, accurately capturing the logic of conservative and classical liberal thinking, provides a framework for classifying various concepts within these two ideological streams.

Keywords

• F.A. von Hayek
• conservatism
• liberalism
• classical liberalism
• whiggism
• libertarianism