It was the first book written by Hayek I came across, and it has left a deep and lasting influence on me. Only 11 years after the Hitler regime and the war I suddenly started to understand the interdependence between totalitarianism and economic policy. Since then I have read most of Hayek’s publications.
Many left their marks, only to mention the impressive “The Constitution of Liberty”. But, perhaps more than anything else, it was the perception of “competition as a discovery process” which has shaped my thinking. This approach is of extreme relevance for economics but goes far beyond this. Related to this “discovery” is “pretence of knowledge” as a permanent danger for societies.