Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom
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Reading and Writing Workshop

Liberty and Authority — Exploring Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom
​Session 1: Introduction to Hayek and the Central Question of Liberty
  • Focus: The Road to Serfdom, Preface & Chapter 1: “The Abandoned Road”
  • Objective: Understand Hayek’s intellectual context and core concern with planning and freedom.
  • Writing Prompt: Compare Hayek’s concerns with an earlier thinker’s reflections on liberty.
  • Public Domain Pairing:

Session 2: Planning vs. Freedom
  • Focus: Chapter 2: “The Great Utopia” & Chapter 3: “Individualism and Collectivism”
  • Objective: Explore Hayek’s critique of central planning and the collectivist vision.
  • Writing Prompt: Evaluate the tension between equality and freedom in planned societies.
  • Public Domain Pairing:

Session 3: The Roots of Totalitarianism
  • Focus: Chapter 4: “The ‘Inevitability’ of Planning” & Chapter 5: “Planning and Democracy”
  • Objective: Analyze Hayek’s belief in a slippery slope from planning to totalitarianism.
  • Writing Prompt: Is totalitarianism an inevitable consequence of economic central planning?
  • Public Domain Pairing:

Session 4: Rule of Law and Arbitrary Power
  • Focus: Chapter 6: “Planning and the Rule of Law”
  • Objective: Understand the importance of rule of law to Hayek’s concept of a free society.
  • Writing Prompt: Compare Hayek’s legal philosophy to classical notions of justice.
  • Public Domain Pairing:

Session 5: Security and Freedom
  • Focus: Chapter 9: “Security and Freedom”
  • Objective: Grapple with Hayek’s claim that guaranteed security undermines liberty.
  • Writing Prompt: Can a society provide economic security without sacrificing freedom?
  • Public Domain Pairing:

Session 6: The Role of Intellectuals and Propaganda
  • Focus: Chapter 11: “The End of Truth” & Chapter 12: “The Socialist Roots of Naziism”
  • Objective: Analyze Hayek’s view on how ideology, media, and intellectuals shape tyranny.
  • Writing Prompt: How does the control of ideas relate to political control?
  • Public Domain Pairing:

Session 7: The Road to Serfdom Today
  • Focus: Chapter 15: “The Prospects of International Order” & Conclusion
  • Objective: Reflect on Hayek’s predictions and their relevance today.
  • Writing Prompt: Has history proven Hayek right or wrong? Support your claim with modern and historical evidence.
  • Public Domain Pairing:

Session 8: Workshop Wrap-up and Final Essay
  • Focus: Synthesis and Critical Reflection
  • Writing Prompt: Write a full argumentative essay: To what extent is Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom a timeless warning or a product of its time?
  • Optional Public Domain Inspiration:
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