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bgsu1143132114.pdf (265.39 KB)
ETD Abstract Container
Abstract Header
Hayek’s Evolutionism
Author Info
Meyer, Brent Hedlund
Permalink:
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1143132114
Abstract Details
Year and Degree
2006, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, Economics.
Abstract
This thesis examines F.A. Hayek’s evolutionary theory. Much of his work in this field can be seen as a rejection of the Austrian School of economics, of which he is a central contributor. This thesis begins with background on Austrian economics. Understanding the tenets of this school uncovers the controversy in Hayek’s evolutionism. Three important contentions follow. First, Hayek’s theory of cultural evolution is the extension of Lamarckism from the biological realm to the social arena. Lamarckian evolution is the ‘inheritance of acquired characteristics.’ Secondly, Hayek underestimates the contribution to evolutionary economics that is made by Charles Darwin. This thesis examines the reasoning for this underestimation, citing Hayek’s alignment with the Scottish moral philosophers and Darwinian rejection of individual choice as the contributing factors. Finally, this thesis reconciles Hayek’s group selection with methodological individualism and Austrian economics. This is done through Ulrich Witt’s reductionist method.
Committee
Kevin Quinn (Advisor)
Pages
50 p.
Subject Headings
Economics, Theory
Keywords
Hayek
;
evolutionary theory
;
group selection
;
Lamarckism
;
methodological individualism
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Citations
Meyer, B. H. (2006).
Hayek’s Evolutionism
[Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1143132114
APA Style (7th edition)
Meyer, Brent.
Hayek’s Evolutionism.
2006. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis.
OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center
, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1143132114.
MLA Style (8th edition)
Meyer, Brent. "Hayek’s Evolutionism." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2006. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1143132114
Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)
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Document number:
bgsu1143132114
Download Count:
2,289
Copyright Info
© 2006, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.