The fatal conceit the errors of socialism is a book written by the economist and political philosopher friedrich hayek and edited by the philosopher william warren bartley the book was first published in 1988 by the university of chicago press bruce caldwell has questioned how far bartley was the editor and how far the author. The fatal conceit the errors of socialism a paperback of volume i of the collected works of fa hayek f a hayek studied at the university of vienna where he became both a doctor of law and a doctor of political science after several years in the austrian civil service he was made the first director of the austrian institute. The errors of socialism 1 between instinct and reason 2 the origins of liberty property and justice 3 the evolution of the market trade and civilisation 4 the revolt of instinct and reason 5 the fatal conceit 6 the mysterious world of trade and money 7 our poisoned language 8 the extended . Hayek argues that socialism has from its origins been mistaken on factual and even on logical grounds and that its repeated failures in the many different practical applications of socialist ideas that this century has witnessed were the direct outcome of these errors he labels as the fatal conceit the idea that man is able to shape the