Laozi’s Governing By Doing Nothing And Hayek’s Spontaneous Order Comparative Research

"Govern by doing nothing that goes against nature" can sum up the core of Laozi’s ideas in regards to politics. A related idea concerning the "spontaneous order" existing in human society is a main theme throughout Hayek’s idea system, and also serves as the core of his academic research. He understands the object of social theory is to understand the structure of this "spontaneous order". Hayek’s theoretical analysis of "spontaneous order" shares a striking similarity with"govern by doing nothing that goes against nature" from Laozi. For instance, ideas such as "spontaneous order" by Hayek’s and "Imitation of Nature" by Laozi,"general rule" by Hayek and "dao" by Laozi, share many common themes.It is, however, important to note that there exist differences between Hayek’s and Laozi’s political theories. Despite the fact that "govern by doing nothing that goes against nature" and "spontaneous order" seem to present similar attitudes towards politics, they do not share the same conceptual and philosophical basis.Whether these ideas are similar or different does not concern this paper, however. The meaning and value of their political ideas is the issue I am going to adress. Both "govern by doing nothing that goes against nature" and "spontaneous order" are philosophical underpinnings that lead to value being put on political freedom and limitation of government.