A Primary Comparative Analysis and Integration of the Hayekian- Laozian Theories of Knowledge, Market Process and Law
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52195/pm.v16i2.26Abstract
The thought of Hayek has been a topic of considerable interest for a while now and the studies of Laozi’s philosophy have also been drawing increasing attention worldwide. In particular, increasingly people seek answers to current political, economic and social questions within Laozi’s wis- dom of more than 2000 years ago. By comparing and integrating the theo- ries of Hayek and Laozi, this paper uncovers new insights into the ideas of Laozi and how they align with some of Hayek’s central ideas. Firstly, this arti- cle makes a comparative analysis of the theories of Hayek and Laozi based on their original works, particularly through the authors’ new translation of the original Chinese texts of Laozi. Further, this paper shows how the ideas of authors overlap and are complimentary and therefore proposes a Hayekian-Laozian perspective that informs the idea of entrepreneurship. Therefore, this paper not only seeks to show that Laozi anticipated modern economic insights but that these modern insights can also be integrated into a more detailed theory.
Keywords: Hayek, Laozi, market competition, Daodejing.
JEL classification: A12, D4, B11, B22, B53, D83, K2, L26.
Resumen: El pensamiento de Hayek ha sido un tema de considerable interés desde hace tiempo y los estudios de la filosofía de Laozi también están lla- mando una creciente atención a nivel global. En particular, las personas cada vez buscan más respuestas a cuestiones políticas, económicas y socia- les actuales dentro de la sabiduría de Laozi de hace más de 2000 años. Comparando e integrando las teorías de Hayek y Laozi, este trabajo descu- bre nuevas perspectivas en las ideas de Laozi y cómo se alinean con algu- nas de las ideas centrales de Hayek. En primer lugar, este artículo hace un análisis comparativo de las teorías de Hayek y Laozi basado en sus trabajos originales, en particular a partir de la nueva traducción de los textos origi- nales en chino de Laozi llevada a cabo por los autores de este trabajo. Ade- más, este trabajo muestra cómo las ideas de ambos autores se solapan y son complementarias y por tanto propone una persepctiva hayekio-laoziana sobre la idea de empresarialidad. Así, este trabajo no sólo busca poner de manifiesto que Laozi anticipó conocimientos económicos modernos, sino también que estos conocimientos modernos pueden integrarse en una teoría más detallada.
Palabras clave: Hayek, Laozi, competencia de mercado, Daodejing.
Clasificación JEL: A12, D4, B11, B22, B53, D83, K2, L26.
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