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Full Idea
Hayek argues that socialist economic equality can only be effectively put into practice by a strong, dictatorial government. Planning has to be imposed by force, and centralised economic power creates a dependency scarcely distingishable from slavery.
Gist of Idea
Socialist economics needs a very strong central power, virtually leading to slavery
Source
report of F.A. Hayek (The Road to Serfdom [1944]) by Johanna Oksala - Political Philosophy: all that matters Ch.7
Book Ref
Oksala,Johanna: 'Political Philosophy' [Hodder and Stoughton 2013], p.94
A Reaction
I don't see much sign of the post-war British Labour government being anything like this, even though they nationalised the railways and introduce a national health service. Hayek was mesmerised by Russia.
| 22534 | People care less about what is communal, and more about what is their own [Aristotle] |
| 23053 | The great interest of the human race is cordial unity and unlimited mutual aid [Owen] |
| 23137 | Liberty without socialism is injustice; socialism without liberty is brutality [Bakunin] |
| 23160 | Being a slave of society is hardly better than being a slave of a despot [Russell] |
| 23162 | Managers are just as remote from workers under nationalisation as under capitalism [Russell] |
| 23165 | Socialists say economic justice needs some state control of industries, and of foreign trade [Russell] |
| 21525 | When the state is the only employer, there is no refuge from the prejudices of other people [Russell] |
| 23750 | It is not more money which the wretched members of society need [Weil] |
| 23847 | Socialism tends to make a proletariat of the whole population [Weil] |
| 20575 | Socialist economics needs a very strong central power, virtually leading to slavery [Hayek, by Oksala] |
| 23427 | Socialism can be productive and centralised, or less productive and decentralised [Dobson] |
| 20097 | The welfare state aims at freedom from want, and equality of opportunity [Micklethwait/Wooldridge] |
| 20540 | Redistributing wealth treats some people as means, rather than as ends [Swift] |