Hayek publicly defended self-limiting dictatorships as possibly more liberal than unrestrained democracy

Evidence

HAYEK: “Evidently dictatorships pose grave dangers. But a dictatorship may limit itself (se puede autolimitar), and if self-limited it may be more liberal in its policies than a democratic assembly that knows of no limitations. I must admit that it is not very probable that this may happen, but even so, in a given moment, it may be the only hope. Not a sure hope because it may always depend on the good will of an individual and one can trust in very few individuals. But if it is the only opportunity in a given moment, it may be the best solution in spite of all. But only if the dictatorial government visibly leads to a limited democracy.” — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 2151

Categorization

• SEED: An article angle: the ‘self-limiting dictator’ as a recurring fantasy among liberal theorists, from Hayek to contemporary tech utopians.
• XREF: connects to: Hayek actively defended the Pinochet regime against human rights criticism. — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market: Human Rights…, 304; Hayek preferred a liberal dictator over a democracy that impinges on markets — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market: Human Rights…, 363; Hayek repeatedly praised Pinochet, Salazar, and Suharto’s dictatorships as liberty-preserving — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market: Human Rights…, 363 (+9 more)

Broader Connections

• Hayek claimed a self-limiting dictatorship can out-liberalize an unbounded democracy #corroborates (0.95) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1638
• Democracy and liberalism can be decoupled and even opposed #corroborates (0.85) — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 235
• Hayek directly legitimized Pinochet’s dictatorship as more liberal than unrestricted democracy. #expands (0.80) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1592
• Hayek distinguished authoritarian from totalitarian regimes to exempt Chile from criticism #qualifies (0.75) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1590
• Hayek ranked freedom above democracy and would temporarily sacrifice democratic procedure for it #complicates (0.75) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 2152