Hayek's Complexity

Larticle cherche a contrer les critiques formulees a lencontre de la theorie evolutionnaire de Hayek en mettant en evidence les apports des theories de la complexite. Cela permet tout dabord de comprendre que la methode de Hayek nest pas un holisme mais un anti-reductionnisme. Cette methode est constante chez lauteur, que ce soit dans son approche du marche ou de levolution culturelle : il ny aurait donc aucune incoherence dans sa pensee.De surcroit, la prise en compte de lignorance individuelle comme des phenomenes demergence ne permet plus dutiliser la theorie des jeux pour corroborer ou refuter les explications dites de main-invisible . La theorie de levolution culturelle aurait donc une plus grande portee descriptive que celle qui lui est generalement conferee.This paper tries to respond to criticisms raised against Hayeks evolutionary theory by highlighting the salient features of theories of complexity. This allows us first to understand that Hayeks method is not holistic but anti-reductionist. This method permeates Hayeks whole oeuvre, whether it be his theory of the market or his ideas about cultural evolution. Hence, there is no inconsistency in his thought. Furthermore, taking individual ignorance and the phenomena of emergence into account no long allows us to use game theory in order to corroborate or refute invisible hand explanations. The theory of cultural evolution would hence have a greater scope than that traditionally acknowledged.