The Constitution of Liberty

Hayek’s fullest statement of liberal political philosophy, and the book he regarded as his principal work. Part one defines liberty as the absence of coercion by other people rather than the presence of power or wealth, and grounds the case for it in ignorance: because no one can know what knowledge will turn out to matter, a free society outperforms a directed one by letting unforeseeable discoveries happen. Part two argues that the rule of law — general, prospective, equally applied rules — is what distinguishes a free order from an administered one. Part three applies the framework to labour unions, taxation, social insurance, housing, agriculture and education, conceding a good deal to the welfare state while rejecting redistribution as a goal. The postscript, “Why I Am Not a Conservative,” insists the position is liberal in the classical sense and not conservative.

Why it’s on the list: It opens McCord’s Austrian School Economics section, ahead of “The Road to Serfdom” and “The Use of Knowledge in Society” — the section that builds the knowledge-problem argument for markets, and Hayek’s is the fullest political working-out of it.

Where I saw it: Brendan McCord’s Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List, in the Political Economy part, section Austrian School Economics — a structured curriculum shared on X on March 9, 2026 and saved to Kyle’s Apple Note “Books To Read”. The full 211-entry transcription is on The Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List.

Connections

• The Road to Serfdom — Hayek’s earlier and shorter polemic, next on McCord’s list in the same section.
• Liberalism — the tradition the book restates.
• Regulation — the practical subject of the book’s third part.
• Law, Legislation, and Liberty — Hayek’s later three-volume revisiting of the same ground, also on McCord’s list.
• The Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List — the curriculum this came from.