"Regarding social order, Fukuyama writes, "The systematic study of how order, and thus social capital, can emerge in spontaneous and decentralized fashion is one of the most important intellectual developments of the late twentieth century." He correctly attributes the modern origins of this argument to F.A. Hayek, whose pioneering contributions to cognitive science, the study of cultural evolution, and the dynamics of social change put him in the forefront of the most creative scholars of the 20th century. But Hayek's views about the "spontaneity" of social order remain controversial. In their extreme form, they imply that all deliberate efforts to manipulate social order — social engineering — are doomed to failure because the complex nature of our cultural heritage makes a complete understanding of the human condition impossible. Hayek was certainly correct that we have, at best, a very imperfect understanding of the human landscape, but "spontaneous" it is not. What distinguishes human evolution from the Darwinian model is the intentionality of the players. The mechanism of variation in evolutionary theory (mutation) is not informed by beliefs about eventual consequences. In contrast, human evolution is guided by the perceptions of the players; their choices (decisions) are made in the light of the theories the actors have, which provide expectations about outcomes."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Social order
11 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Social order →
Related Quotes
"Big industry, and the limitless expansion of production which it makes possible, bring within the range of feasibilit…"
"The abolition of private property is, doubtless, the shortest and most significant way to characterize the revolution…"
"Every change in the social order, every revolution in property relations, is the necessary consequence of the creatio…"
"The criterion of mental health is not one of individual adjustment to a given social order, but a universal one, vali…"
"The systematic study of how order, and thus social capital, can emerge in spontaneous and decentralized fashion is on…"
"The stereotyped style of cultic representations was well known as early as the Neolithic age, but the stiffly ceremon…"
"The great change which produced an order of society which became increasingly incomprehensible to man, and for the pr…"
"A free society is as much a threat to the intellectual's sense of worth as an automated economy is to the workingman'…"
"The intellectual craves a social order in which uncommon people perform uncommon tasks every day. He wants a society …"
"There can be no social order without social justice."