Bastiat forerunner of Hayek? An Essay on the proclamation of liberal principles and their turning away through the socialization process

Feldman Jean-Philippe
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Feldman Jean-Philippe: Barreau de Paris

Journal des Economistes et des Etudes Humaines, 1995, vol. 6, issue 4, 1-36

Abstract: Loin d'être un auteur mineur, thuriféraire d'un naïf "laissez-faire", Bastiat apparaît comme le précurseur de la plupart des courants libéraux contemporains.Il est frappant de constater que le diagnostic porté par Bastiat sur le fonctionnement de la démocratie demeure d'une brûlante actualité.C'est donc injustement que Hayek a méconnu son devancier : une étude critique de la philosophie juridique et politique du Français lui aurait permis d'éviter quelques inconséquences, telle sa théorie des fonctions non coercitives de l'Etat.Far from being a minor economist, or flattering some naive "laissez-faire", Bastiat is indeed a precursor of most of the contemporaneous views defending liberalism.It is striking to note how much Bastiat's diagnosis about the workings of democracy applies with acuity to the current world.Thus, Hayek unduly disregarded his precursor: a critical study of Bastiat's philosophy and conception of law would have allow Hayek to not fall into some traps, such as his theory on the non-coercitive functions of government.

Date: 1995
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DOI: 10.2202/1145-6396.1211

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