In the United States, where it has become almost impossible to use "liberal" in the sense in which I have used it, the term "libertarian" has been used instead. It may be the answer; but for my part I find it singularly unattractive. For my taste it carries too much the flavor of a manufactured term and of a substitute. What I should want is a word which describes the party of life, the party that favors free growth and spontaneous evolution.
Does "libertarianism" favor this "free growth and spontaneous evolution" of Hayek's?
-- "Whiggism is historically the correct name for the ideas in which I believe."
The "whiggism" of Hayek doesn't seem to be "libertarianism" of today. Even then, the definition of whiggism posted earlier seems to conflict with libertarianism.
Thus, - Hayek was a libertarian, but disliked the term.
not necessarily. And, even if he was, that doesn't mean that liberatarianism = whiggism. just wondering, is the libertarianism of today different than that of Hayek's time?
Libertarianism rejects the organic nature of our evolving sytems of law and the traditions upon which they are built, believing instead that they can derive life's rules by the rigid application of simplistic slogans and navel-gazing.
“Out of every hundred new ideas ninety-nine or more will probably be inferior to the traditional responses which they propose to replace. No one man, however brilliant or well-informed, can come in one lifetime to such fullness of understanding as to safely judge and dismiss the customs or institutions of his society, for these are the wisdom of generations after centuries of experiment in the laboratory of history.”
-- Will and Ariel Durant
Yes, it does. And Hayek says so just above -- " It may be the answer, but --".
Read much, kid?
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-- "Whiggism is historically the correct name for the ideas in which I believe."
The "whiggism" of Hayek doesn't seem to be "libertarianism" of today. Even then, the definition of whiggism posted earlier seems to conflict with libertarianism.
"Seems"? What's the conflict?
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Thus, - Hayek was a libertarian, but disliked the term.
not necessarily. And, even if he was, that doesn't mean that liberatarianism = whiggism. just wondering, is the libertarianism of today different than that of Hayek's time?
KC seems to think so. Maybe he can elaborate.