Should Arts Be Publicly Funded? [What Would Hayek Say?]

Описание: Funding for arts and culture seems to be a perennial problem. As so often happens, the solution commonly called for is for more funding from government. But is this the right approach?

In this week's "What Would Hayek Say?", we take a look at Hayek's opinion on public funding of the arts and of cultural projects more generally. There are those who argue that arts must be publicly funded because of their "value to society". We explore some of the problems with this argument without in any way rejecting the importance of the arts. In fact, if financing the arts is such a vexed question, it may be related to the very nature of how we determine value when it comes to arts. We conclude on a more philosophical note by noting the apparent uselessness of the arts in the short run compared to their enduring relevance in the long run, raising the importance of aesthetics and beauty.

Speaking of funding, if you're really enjoying our work and would like to help out, then consider donating to the cause: https://www.austriancenter.com/suppor...

Every little bit helps us immensely.

Roger Scruton by Pete Helme is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 license.
Source: http://www.rogerscruton.com

***

Scott B. Nelson is Research and Strategy Advisor at the Austrian Economics Center and Hayek Institut in Vienna, Austria. He blogs at https://vienna-symposium.com.

***

Please don't forget to like and subscribe!

***

Check out our website for more great content: https://www.austriancenter.com/
Stay up to date by signing up for our newsletter: https://www.austriancenter.com/newsle...
Follow us on Twitter:   / austriancenter  
Follow us on Facebook:   / austrianeconomicscenter  
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austriancen...