The Great Society is Friedrich Hayek's term for his version of a classical liberal polity based on free- markets, limited government, and the rule of law. In Hayek's view, spontaneous order - the emergence of complex order as the unintended consequence of individual actions that have no such end in view - is both the origin of the Great Society and its underlying principle. In this sense, the idea of the Great Society and the idea of spontaneous order stand or fall together. The essays in this volume assess these two themes in Hayek's thought. They represent a wide range of intellectual and disciplinary approaches. They are also often sharply critical of various aspects of Hayek's position. But they are united in the conviction that a careful study of his intellectual project can help us to understand, and perhaps even suggest some tentative solutions to, our contemporary social and political dilemmas.