Friedrich von Hayek and John Dewey on the market and democracy: convergent, complementary, and irreducible contributions to liberal theory

In the context of the current crisis of democratic governance, this paper revisits the intellectual dialogue between Friedrich von Hayek and John Dewey on the nature of liberalism in complex societies, where market processes and political governance are deeply intertwined. It first highlights key epistemological convergences that justify a comparative inquiry into their respective social philosophies. The analysis then contrasts their ontological foundations of democracy and their divergent views on the relationship between the economic and political spheres, ultimately distinguishing their conceptions of economic democracy. By comparing their epistemological and ontological premises, the paper argues that Dewey's pragmatic conception of democracy broadens and enriches certain insights of Hayek's epistemic liberalism – particularly by integrating communication, ethical reflexivity, and institutional learning into the understanding of social coordination.