The Tradition of the Spontaneous Order

Abstract

The theory of spontaneous order has a long tradition in the history of social thought, although it would not be wrong to say that until the 1970s it was little less than eclipsed in the social sciences of the 20th century. During most of this period the idea of ​​spontaneous order - e, the notion that most things that produce general benefits in a social system are the product of spontaneous forces not under the direct control of man - was dominated by the various doctrines of what Friedrich A. Hayek has called "constructivist rationalism." 1 To be sure, the appeal of this rival doctrine derives in part from the success of the physical sciences, with their well-known methods of control, exact prediction, and experimentation. For the human hubris that associates the benefits of civilization, not with spontaneous orderings, but with conscious direction toward preconceived goals, these methods have irresistible appeal.