Hayek is regarded as a key figure in the 20th century revival of liberalism. This has led some folks to suggest that the works of Hayek are playing a role in our time something like the role the works of Adam Smith and John Locke played in their own -- meaning that Hayek's ideas are at the forefront of the movement towards a society based on freedom of association and exchange according to the rule of law, and away from the control of society from the center according to the whim of government. So the first thing to know about Hayek is that he has played a lead role in the current tide change away from statism and back to liberalism* -- regarded by many as a defining event of the 20th century.