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Hayek on Hayek: An Autobiographical Dialogue
The crumbling of the Berlin Wall, the fall of the iron curtain, and the Reagan and Thatcher "revolutions" all owe a tremendous debt to F. A. Hayek. Economist, social and political theorist, and intellectual historian, Hayek passionately championed individual liberty and condemned the dangers of state control. Now Hayek at last tells the story of his long and controversial career, during which his fortunes rose, fell, and finally rose again.
Through a complete collection of previously unpublished autobiographical sketches and a wide selection of interviews, Hayek on Hayek provides the first detailed chronology of Hayek's early life and education, his intellectual progress, and the academic and public reception of his ideas. His discussions range from economic methodology and the question of religious faith to the atmosphere of post-World War I Vienna and the British character.
Born in 1899 into a Viennese family of academics and civil servants, Hayek was educated at the University of Vienna, fought in the Great War, and later moved to London, where, as he watched liberty vanish under fascism and communism across Europe, he wrote The Road to Serfdom. Although this book attracted great public attention, Hayek was ignored by other economists for thirty years after World War II, when European social democracies boomed and Keynesianism became the dominant intellectual force. However, the award of the Nobel Prize in economics for 1974 signaled a reversal in Hayek's fortunes, and before his death in 1992 he saw his life's work vindicated in the collapse of the planned economies of Eastern Europe.
Hayek on Hayek is as close to an autobiography of Hayek as we will ever have. In his own eloquent words, Hayek reveals the remarkable life of a revolutionary thinker in revolutionary times.
"One of the great thinkers of our age who explored the promise and contours of liberty....[Hayek] revolutionized the world's intellectual and political life"—President George Bush, on awarding F. A. Hayek the Medal of Freedom
F. A. Hayek, recipient of the Medal of Freedom 1991 and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in 1974, was a pioneer in monetary theory and the principal proponent of the libertarian philosophy. Hayek is the author of numerous books in economics, as well as books in political philosophy and psychology.
Through a complete collection of previously unpublished autobiographical sketches and a wide selection of interviews, Hayek on Hayek provides the first detailed chronology of Hayek's early life and education, his intellectual progress, and the academic and public reception of his ideas. His discussions range from economic methodology and the question of religious faith to the atmosphere of post-World War I Vienna and the British character.
Born in 1899 into a Viennese family of academics and civil servants, Hayek was educated at the University of Vienna, fought in the Great War, and later moved to London, where, as he watched liberty vanish under fascism and communism across Europe, he wrote The Road to Serfdom. Although this book attracted great public attention, Hayek was ignored by other economists for thirty years after World War II, when European social democracies boomed and Keynesianism became the dominant intellectual force. However, the award of the Nobel Prize in economics for 1974 signaled a reversal in Hayek's fortunes, and before his death in 1992 he saw his life's work vindicated in the collapse of the planned economies of Eastern Europe.
Hayek on Hayek is as close to an autobiography of Hayek as we will ever have. In his own eloquent words, Hayek reveals the remarkable life of a revolutionary thinker in revolutionary times.
"One of the great thinkers of our age who explored the promise and contours of liberty....[Hayek] revolutionized the world's intellectual and political life"—President George Bush, on awarding F. A. Hayek the Medal of Freedom
F. A. Hayek, recipient of the Medal of Freedom 1991 and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in 1974, was a pioneer in monetary theory and the principal proponent of the libertarian philosophy. Hayek is the author of numerous books in economics, as well as books in political philosophy and psychology.
177 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1994
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About the author
Friedrich A. Hayek
255 books1,724 followersFriedrich August von Hayek CH was an Austrian and British economist and philosopher known for his defense of classical liberalism and free-market capitalism against socialist and collectivist thought. He is considered by some to be one of the most important economists and political philosophers of the twentieth century. Hayek's account of how changing prices communicate signals which enable individuals to coordinate their plans is widely regarded as an important achievement in economics. Hayek also wrote on the topics of jurisprudence, neuroscience and the history of ideas.
Hayek is one of the most influential members of the Austrian School of economics, and in 1974 shared the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics with Gunnar Myrdal "for their pioneering work in the theory of money and economic fluctuations and for their penetrating analysis of the interdependence of economic, social and institutional phenomena." He also received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991 from president George H. W. Bush.
Hayek lived in Austria, Great Britain, the United States and Germany, and became a British subject in 1938.
Hayek is one of the most influential members of the Austrian School of economics, and in 1974 shared the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics with Gunnar Myrdal "for their pioneering work in the theory of money and economic fluctuations and for their penetrating analysis of the interdependence of economic, social and institutional phenomena." He also received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991 from president George H. W. Bush.
Hayek lived in Austria, Great Britain, the United States and Germany, and became a British subject in 1938.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 29, 2019
A brief book on Hayek, which includes questions from an interview and a transcript of a debate, that goes over highlights of his life. Hayek reveals himself to be humble and relatable, telling the beginning of his academic journey and budding fame as coincidence and luck. Moreover, he considers himself slow in economic thinking, despite what many of his readers know of his wide breadth of writing and achievements in economics, because he observes his fellow contemporaries able to perform economic conclusions without going through the laborious task of thinking and rethinking through economic axioms, as he does.
Like most academics, Hayek would have led a boring life, if not for the period he lived in which was unfortunately a time of turmoil. He talks about many of his colleagues and friends like Lionel Robbins, Ludwig von Mises, John Maynard Keynes, John Hicks, and many others. It is most interesting to read his experiences in Vienna, London, and Chicago during this time period.
Though there is not much economics in this book itself, Hayek does talk about what he believed was some of his more important works, such as The Sensory Order (though not economics related) and his paper titled "The Paradox of Saving." In short, this book is recommended for those who wish to know more of the time period and how Hayek viewed his colleagues and rivals (particularly Keynes)--this includes some interesting and funny stories about Mises and Hicks.
Like most academics, Hayek would have led a boring life, if not for the period he lived in which was unfortunately a time of turmoil. He talks about many of his colleagues and friends like Lionel Robbins, Ludwig von Mises, John Maynard Keynes, John Hicks, and many others. It is most interesting to read his experiences in Vienna, London, and Chicago during this time period.
Though there is not much economics in this book itself, Hayek does talk about what he believed was some of his more important works, such as The Sensory Order (though not economics related) and his paper titled "The Paradox of Saving." In short, this book is recommended for those who wish to know more of the time period and how Hayek viewed his colleagues and rivals (particularly Keynes)--this includes some interesting and funny stories about Mises and Hicks.
July 26, 2023
A través de una serie de entrevistas este pequeño libro nos permite adentrarnos en la vida del gran Friedrich Hayek, uno de los máximos representantes del liberalismo clásico y de los principales economistas del siglo xx. Las entrevistas permiten al lector generar un perfil del austriaco desde un punto de vista académico. Hubiera sido muy enriquecedor si las entrevistas hubieran profundizado en otros rumbos, tales como el impacto de la sociedad Mon Pelerin o la influencia que tuvo en personajes tales como Sir Antony Fisher (cuya fundación sirvió para proyectar eventualmente a M. Thatcher).
September 29, 2014
Weaving together interviews, archival material, autobiographical notes, and editorializing, "Hayek on Hayek" is the closest thing we have for a proper Hayek autobiography. And since Hayek was often too verbose and a terrible self-editor, I have an inkling it was better to be edited by someone else.
The result is a very concise biography. And although sometimes one wishes Hayek would be still alive to answer one or two missing pieces of the puzzles, the result is a readable biography with some very interesting material, recommendable for anyone interested in the development of Hayek's thought.
Especially worth a look because of its unique access to Hayek's autobiographical notes, and discussions on Hayek's work on psychology and sensation (which aspects of his work have, unfortunately - although understandably for an Austrian economist - been practically forgotten today).
Great for a scholar, good for the rest.
The result is a very concise biography. And although sometimes one wishes Hayek would be still alive to answer one or two missing pieces of the puzzles, the result is a readable biography with some very interesting material, recommendable for anyone interested in the development of Hayek's thought.
Especially worth a look because of its unique access to Hayek's autobiographical notes, and discussions on Hayek's work on psychology and sensation (which aspects of his work have, unfortunately - although understandably for an Austrian economist - been practically forgotten today).
Great for a scholar, good for the rest.
December 17, 2025
Libro obligatorio
Es un resumen del pensamiento de Hayek, en términos muy simples. Además es entretenido por muchas curiosidades que Hayek cuenta.
Es un resumen del pensamiento de Hayek, en términos muy simples. Además es entretenido por muchas curiosidades que Hayek cuenta.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews