Popper, Hayek and the Open Society (Routledge Frontiers of Political Economy) - Hardcover

Hayes, Calvin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0415772893 ISBN 13: 9780415772891

Publisher: Routledge, 2008

Synopsis

This is the first book to compare Karl Popper and Friedrich Hayek systematically, and critically assess their contribution to the political philosophy of the Open Society. Hayes compares and contrasts their views on three key areas relevant to their political philosophy; first their views on scientific method, their views on philosophy of social science and then their moral philosophy including their meta-ethical views. The author focuses on their contributions to social science methodology, their ethical views about negative utilitarianism and negative rights, and their contrasting views on Utopianism. He finishes by arguing that their versions of liberal political philosophy are both immune to Alastair MacIntyre's critique of liberal individualism and also meet his challenge to the Enlightenment project.

Hayes' position is generally controversial in that he defends Popper and Hayek in areas where they are almost universally criticized, namely Hayek's notion of the meaninglessness of social justice and Popper's claim that there is no need for induction in either scientific reasoning or common sense reasoning. One main finding in this book concerns the two major problems that bedevil modern philosophy: induction and the is-ought problem. The author proposes an original solution to the is-ought problem as well to the infinite regress problem.

About this title

About the Author

Calvin Hayes is Professor at Brock University in Ontario, Canada and the author of Fallibilism, Democracy and the Market. Many of the works of Hayek and Popper are published as Routledge Classics.

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0415772893
• ISBN 13: 9780415772891
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304