Chapter 10 of Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom should be read by everyone, especially young idealists who attach themselves to an ideology of top-down social control:
“That socialism can be put into practice only by methods which most socialists disapprove is, of course, a lesson learnt by many social reformers in the past. The old socialist parties were inhibited by their democratic ideals, they did not possess the ruthlessness required for the performance of their chosen task. It is characteristic that both in Germany and Italy the success of Fascism was preceded by the refusal of the socialist parties to take over the responsibilities of government. They were unwilling wholeheartedly to employ the methods to which they had pointed the way. They still hoped for the miracle of a majority agreeing on a particular plan for the organisation of the whole of society; others had already learnt the lesson that in a planned society the question can no longer be on what a majority of the people agree, but what is the largest single group whose members agree sufficiently to make unified direction of all affairs possible; or, if no such group large enough to enforce its views exists, how it can be created and who will succeed in creating it.”
Hayek’s entire body of work is a devastating critique of the type of social control that socialists propose. And he does it, not by name-calling or discounting the arguments of the Socialists, but by taking them completely seriously, and giving them every benefit of the doubt. This is the way to approach the socialism debate, with open ears, and compassion for your intellectual adversary. It’s refreshing to be able to now discuss the merits of socialism and a freed market with someone who has leaned toward a form of socialism for several years but listens to my arguments on an almost daily basis. It is possible to hold a sustained, pleasant conversation with someone who is at odds with you politically if approached in a non-defensive manner.
