ABSTRACT
Hayek starts his exposition of freedom by clarifying what coercion means. Coercion can take two forms: whereas constraints force people to do certain things, restraints prevent people from performing certain actions. The only source of coercion is other agents; natural and social factors cannot create obstacles to personal freedom. Hayek argues that one's freedom is coerced only when another agent has deliberately attempted to change his course of action. He gives various examples to demonstrate that one cannot coerce another's freedom unintentionally. Hence, Hayek's notion of coercion is too narrow; it cannot account for other important cases of unfreedom. Hayek disregards the essential link between freedom in the private and public spheres. Democratic and rational control of the public sphere can enhance individual freedom by increasing the domain of self-activity and by providing people with the means to exercise their freedoms.
