brandon.robison

I’m reading F.A. Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom right now. In the current chapter entitled Planning and Democracy, there were two parts I particularly enjoyed. Keep in mind this book was published in 1944:

The effect of the people’s agreeing that there must be central planning, without agreeing on the ends, will be rather as if a group of people were to commit themselves to take a journey together without agreeing where they want to go: with the result that they may all have to make a journey which most of them do not want at all.

And a few pages later…

Hitler did not have to destroy democracy; he merely took advantage of the decay of democracy and at the critical moment obtained the support of many to whom, though they detested Hitler, he yet seemed the only man strong enough to get things done.

Interpret however you would like.