Korean Liberalism Association to Host Hayek 127th Birth Anniversary Symposium

Humanity built civilization through prosperity, yet the instinctive emotions formed in small tribal societies tens of thousands of years ago still remain within us.

Hayek long ago pointed out that these instinctive human feelings stand in tension with the moral rules that sustain the market economy.

Our disposition naturally tends to prefer the sweetness of sharing, avoid the burden of production, and seek the comfort of equality over not only distribution but also the uncertainty of competition.

In such a way of life, there could be no such thing as individual responsibility.

Along with these emotional tendencies, sentiments such as unconditional cooperation toward members of one’s own group, exclusiveness toward outsiders, and suspicion and jealousy toward those who succeed are products of human “biological evolution.”

In this sense, one could say that our disposition is instinctively “pro-socialist” and anti-market.

Modern civilization, however, has developed not by simply following these instincts, but on the basis of acquired learning in abstract rules and institutions that transcend them.

Abstract norms such as liberty and competition, the protection of private property, and the observance of contracts are products of “cultural evolution.”

This is the morality of the so-called “Extended Order,” and it has played a key role in enabling humanity to overcome poverty and achieve prosperity.

Today, we ask once again:

Are we prepared to preserve and advance this morality? Will we remain in thrall to the temptations of instinct, or will we rise above them and defend the order of liberty?

Held on the occasion of the 127th anniversary of Hayek’s birth, the 5th Hayek Symposium will be an intellectual journey that squarely confronts the “thorns” within us that obstruct “the Road to Liberty” and reflects on the moral foundations that sustain the market economy.

We sincerely invite you to join us on this meaningful journey of reflection.

Opening and Keynote Address (14:00 ~ 14:40)

Welcome Remarks

: Changgyu Choi, Chairman (Emeritus Professor, Myongji University)

Keynote Address

: Younghoon Lee (Headmaster, Syngman Rhee Academy)

Lecture Topic

: The Journey of the Idea of Liberty in Modern Korean History

1st Session (14:40 ~ 15:40)

Moderator

: Sung-no Choi (President, Center for Free Enterprise (CFE))

Presentation 1

: Sehee Oh (Visiting Research Fellow, Center for Free Enterprise (CFE))

Presentation Topic

: Laozi’s Theory of the Small-State, Few-People Polity from the Perspective of Spontaneous Order Theory

Discussant

: Jindeok Choi (Emeritus Professor of Eastern Philosophy, The Academy of Korean Studies)

Presentation 2

: Juhyun Hong (Author of The Glorious Individual)

Presentation Topic

: Emotion, Majority Rule, and Liberalism

Discussant

: Hyeokcheol Kwon (President, Institute for Market Economy Systems)

Break (15:40 ~ 15:50)

2nd Session (15:50 ~ 16:50)

Moderator

: Changgyu Choi (President of the Society, Emeritus Professor, Department of Economics, Myongji University)

Presentation 1

: Bihwan Kim (Professor, Department of Political Science and Diplomacy, Sungkyunkwan University)

Presentation Topic

: Toward a Reflexive Liberal Egalitarianism: Reconstituting the Conditions of Agency

Discussant

: Mankwon Kim (Research Professor in Political Philosophy, Kyung Hee University)

Presentation 2

: Kyungguk Min (Emeritus Professor, Department of Economics, Kangwon National University)

Presentation Topic

: Sapolsky’s Freedom and Responsibility from the Perspective of Constitutional Political Economy

Discussant

: Kisu Kim (Executive Director for General Affairs of the Society; Attorney)

Closing (16:50 ~ 17:00)

Closing Remarks

: Changgyu Choi (President of the Society)

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Original title: 한국자유주의학회 주최 <하이에크 탄생 127주년 심포지엄> 개최 안내

Author: Center for Free Enterprise (CFE)

Date: 2026-05-06

Source: https://www.cfe.org/bbs/bbsDetail.php?cid=notice&pn=1&idx=28878