13th October 2010
The Mont Pelerin society and its meeting in Sydney
The Mont Pelerin Society is a significant player in the freedom movements of the world. Its founders include Hayek and von Mises.
"After World War II, in 1947, when many of the values of Western civilization were imperiled, 36 scholars, mostly economists, with some historians and philosophers, were invited by Professor Friedrich von Hayek to meet at Mont Pelerin, near Montreux, Switzerland, to discuss the state and the possible fate of liberalism (in its classical sense) in thinking and practice.
"The group described itself as the Mont Pelerin Society, after the place of the first meeting. It emphasised that it did not intend to create an orthodoxy, to form or align itself with any political party or parties, or to conduct propaganda. Its sole objective was to facilitate an exchange of ideas between like-minded scholars in the hope of strengthening the principles and practice of a free society and to study the workings, virtues, and defects of market-oriented economic systems."
I'm pleased that Deepak Lal is now its President, a very well-deserved honour. The Society is currently holding its meeting in Sydney, with an outstanding list of speakers (here) that includes Noel Pearson, Chandran Kukathas, Paul Kelly, Harold Demsetz (whom I cited in my previous post). Discussants include Ian Harper and Andrew Norton. The Sydney session will close on 15 October.
