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Even when men approve of the same arrangements, it must be asked whether they approve of them because they exist or because they are desirable in themselves. The common resistance to the collectivist tide should not be allowed to obscure the fact that the belief in integral freedom is based on an essentially forward-looking attitude and not on any nostalgic longing for the past or a romantic admiration for what has been.

Friedrich Hayek#95

Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.

FreedomPolicyCultureFuture

About this quote

What does it mean?
Hayek warns that supporting freedom should be based on forward‑looking goals, not nostalgia or romanticizing the past, and that we must examine whether we value arrangements for their own sake.
In plain terms
Freedom should be valued for future benefits, not just because it’s familiar.
What can you take from it?
Assess ideas based on their intrinsic merit and future impact.

Where it applies

  • evaluating social policies
  • debating cultural trends

Putting it to work

  • focus on long‑term outcomes
  • avoid romanticizing past systems

Questions to consider

  • How can we balance respect for tradition with progress?
  • What criteria determine true desirability?

Another view

Future‑oriented thinking can overlook valuable traditions.

More from Friedrich Hayek

  1. The more I learn about the evolution of ideas, the more I have become aware that I am simply an unrepentant Old Whig - with the stress on the 'old.'

    Permalink to quote #94
  2. The conservatives have already accepted a large part of the collectivist creed - a creed that has governed policy for so long that many of its institutions hav…

    Permalink to quote #96
  3. In the United States, where it has become almost impossible to use 'liberal' in the sense in which I have used it, the term 'libertarian' has been used instead…

    Permalink to quote #93

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