Our faith in freedom does not rest on the foreseeable results in particular circumstances, but on the belief that it will, on balance, release more forces for the good than for the bad...Freedom granted only when it is known beforehand that its effects will be beneficial is not freedom.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Freedom is justified by its overall tendency to release good forces, not by guaranteed outcomes in every case.
- In plain terms
- Keep freedom even when you can't predict the exact result.
- What can you take from it?
- Trust freedom's net benefit even without certainty.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do we measure 'more forces for good'?
- When should uncertainty justify restricting freedom?
Another view
Some harmful outcomes of freedom can be severe enough to justify restrictions.
More from Friedrich Hayek
The mind cannot foresee its own advance.
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