Classical Liberalism’s Evolutionary Foundations Reconsidered

The economist and Nobelist Friedrich (F. A.) Hayek argues that classical liberal principles of individual liberty, free markets, and spontaneous order are rooted in evolved aspects of human nature. To establish a natural-law proof supporting this argument, Hayek borrowed from Charles Darwin’s controversial theory of natural selection occurring at the group level. Some scholars challenge Hayek’s reliance upon Darwinian theory, and yet the modern literature in economics, history, biology, paleontology, sociobiology, physical sciences, and nonlinear complex adaptive systems supports the conceptual basis of Hayek’s evolutionary approach. It also suggests that the civil and economic strands of classical liberalism and libertarianism represent a distinct phase within an evolutionary progression, although not the telos that Hayek claimed. This article examines Hayek’s argument, its criticisms and justifications, and alternative scientific and linguistic theories explaining the adaptive evolution of social and economic systems. The implications of this examination transcend the bounds of Hayek’s argument.