SIR – Friedrich Von Hayek, an eminent economist from the Austrian School, wrote an essay “The Intellectuals and Socialism (1949)”, in which he compared intellectuals to “professional second-hand dealers in ideas”.
Hayek observed that most intellectuals tended towards socialism, which is visionary in character, and who preferred to advocate an entire reconstruction of society rather than being concerned with details of policy.
In contrast, Hayek observed what he described as the “practical man of affairs” as being concerned with incremental improvements, such as an industrial process, and who is required to have far greater detailed knowledge and understanding than a visionary.
Today, those who were considered socialists by Hayek may be regarded as following the “progressive agenda”, which is also visionary in character and involves implementing Political Correctness (PC) and a rejection of traditional values.
In view of the many absurdities arising from PC it would seem we may require less visionaries and more practical people.
Alec Suchi, Allerton Road, Allerton
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