Thank you to all those who braved the snow to attend our social event to mark the end of term. We were expressing our liberty in different ways to normal and the atmosphere was wonderful once the juices, intellectual and otherwise, were flowing. From those who wished to meet like-minded people to those who wanted an intense discussion on philosophy and economics, it was a wonderful opportunity to bring everyone together.

We hope to see you again in Trinity Term, whether a member of the old-guard or a newcomer. Thank you to everyone who has supported us this term. Oxford Hayek Society wishes you all a restful holiday.

(Friday, 2nd March)

With such a broad topic, it was lucky that we had such a diverse set of opinions to debate in this discussion. Libertarian, anarchistic, conservative and more interventionist views were all represented this discussion which looked at gender, working patterns, religion and businesses in contemporary life. It was wonderful to hear the conclusions that we came to towards the end of the discussion which ranged from the need for certain areas of the world to become developed for us to realise liberty in the west, to using the Conservative Party to bring libertarian ideals to the forefront of UK politics. All in all this was a brilliant discussion and it was truly inspiring. Thank you to all those who attended.

(Tuesday, 13^th February)

 

This was our first event in our new venue at Magdalen College. We had a wonderful turn out with a large variation of expertise on Rousseau from those wanting to be introduced to his views and those who knew his works well. This made for a very interesting discussion, touching on the meaning and function of ‘the state’, the role played by ‘general will’ and whether this is a realistic concept, as well as more sociological tangents to the role of the family and personal contributions to society.

Rousseau’s philosophy presents many conflicts and problems for libertarians. It was also particularly interesting to think about how Enlightenment philosophy written on the eve of revolution may or may not be useful in the globalised world of today. Thank you to all those who attended.

(Wednesday, 31st January)

Our first event of Hilary Term (Wednesday, 17th January) saw Oxford Hayek Society receiving Eamonn Butler, the co-founder and Director of the Adam Smith Institute, at Oxford Town Hall. He gave a fascinating talk on how Ayn Rand’s philosophy may be useful in the 21^st century. It was wonderful to hear such an adept analysis of Rand’s economic and social views including very insightful comments on what may be flaws in her works. Eamonn Butler’s comparisons to Rand’s contemporaries and other libertarian philosophers were particularly enlightening.

It was wonderful to see such a high turn out with so many people engaging with the Society and with the values that we support. Thank you to all those who attended.