Sociological criticism of central planning: Friedrich von Hayek and The Road to Serfdom

This dissertation discusses plannings which are made from past to present, by states or any power within social areas via holding centralist power, in the perspective of sociological criticism with a hermeneutical approach with reference to Friedrich August von Hayek's conceptual world. It's a theoretical projection of sociological problems which will be given birth by centralist planning, in context of Hayek's conception of liberalism and the characteristics attributed to it by him. Centralist structures has always found a place for themselves on the stage of history. The state, aside being the supreme centralist system, appears before us as the structure wielding the supreme power. And yet, the state which wields this power, reflects its own idea to the people through the channels of "planning" on an ideological basis. These central plannings which are the products of constructivist rationalism, generally conceive total ideologies. "The Rule of Law Principle" and "spontaneous order", which are mentioned by Hayek, are over against these central planning phases. Although Hayek advocates this power wielded by the state should not be a destructive but a complementary one, in his The Road to Serfdom he prognosticates the chaos into which the modern states –especially the ones in Europe- slide and sees the salvation in the economically liberated individual. In this context, interpreting ideological central plannings as an attempt against freedom of individuals has great importance. Key Words: Hayek, Central Plannings, Constructivist Rationalism, Spontaneous Order, The Rule of Law Principle