F.A. Hayek, reader of Hume's Treatise

Emilio Mazza and Alberto Mingardi

Chapter 6 in Hayek’s Living Legacy in Economics, Philosophy and Policy, 2026, pp 90-115 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: “The rules of morality… are not the conclusions of our reason.” F.A. Hayek (1899–1992) was fond of quoting David Hume (1711–1776), whom he appreciated as a pillar of the Scottish Enlightenment and a “Darwinian before Darwin”: a forerunner of evolutionary theory. The aim of this chapter is to offer an overview of how Hayek read Hume, drawing on both Hume scholarship and the secondary literature on Hayek. The analysis rests not only on Hayek's published works but also on his marginalia, with particular attention to his extensive and meticulous engagement with Hume's Treatise. Although the available evidence is inevitably fragmentary and incomplete, the authors contend that Hayek's interest in Hume was both sustained and profound. In fact, some of Hayek's interpretations can be regarded as anticipatory of later developments in Hume studies.

Keywords: David Hume; Evolution of Institutions; Intellectual Influence; Liberalism; Moral Philosophy; Scepticism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035394234
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