Friedrich Hayek, The Fatal Conceit (1988), Ch. 5: The Fatal Conceit

In an order so extended as to transcend the comprehension and possible guidance of any single mind, a unified will can indeed hardly determine the welfare of its several members in terms of some particular conception of justice, or according to an agreed scale. Nor is this due merely to the problems of anthropomorphism. [...] The insight that general rules must prevail for spontaneity to flourish, as reaped by Hume and Kant, has never been refuted, merely neglected or forgotten.

— Friedrich Hayek

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "In an order so extended as to transcend the comprehension and possible guidance of any single mind, a unified will can indeed hardly determine the welfare of its several members in terms of some particular conception of justice, or according to an agreed scale. Nor is this due merely to the problems of anthropomorphism. [...] The insight that general rules must prevail for spontaneity to flourish, as reaped by Hume and Kant, has never been refuted, merely neglected or forgotten." in the context of "Friedrich Hayek, The Fatal Conceit (1988), Ch. 5: The Fatal Conceit" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Immanuel Kant" (Quotes about Kant: Alphabetized by author ) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Immanuel Kant

About Immanuel Kant

Immanuel Kant (22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804), born Emanuel Kant, was a German philosopher.