Hayek: A Collaborative Biography

Part X: Eugenics, Cultural Evolution, and The Fatal Conceit

This tenth part of Robert Leeson's collaborative biography of Friedrich August von Hayek explores Hayek’s thought on the free market and democracy. Using an unparalleled array of archival materials, Leeson reconstructs Hayek’s thinking as the notorious economist and his acolytes set about reshaping the post-war economic order. Darker areas of Hayek’s thought are also explored, including the influence of eugenics on his thought and his support for radical right-wing dictatorships in South America.

 Leeson concludes this volume with a collection of chapters written by eminent scholars of Hayek. These chapters cover subjects as diverse as Hayek’s influence on scholars of Darwinian evolution, his views on psychology, and cultural evolution.