As all rights are expressions of liberty, however mutually contradictory, we cannot appeal to liberty per se as a principle enabling us to mediate between them. Liberty pre-eminent, or indeed alone, seems too brittle to contain the alienation or anomie of modernity. It may now be necessary, philosophically, to decoct the glue of empathy, of friendship and, by extension, equality. This paper compares Hayek and Polanyi on spontaneous social order. Michael Polanyi who did so.
Numerous differences emerge between the two thinkers.
The characterisation of spontaneous order in Hayek, for example, involves different types of freedom to those advanced by Polanyi. Liberal political thought has traditionally been hostile to the arbitrary power of rulers. Liberal thought has tended to overlook the arbitrary powers of citizens and private organisations. This is due, first, to its commitment to individual liberty. Neo-liberalism is not rendered distinctive by its promotion of arbitrary power, since this has always featured in liberal government.