This paper deals with F. A. Hayek's theory of evolution. It is well known that F. A. Hayek's spontaneous order theory is based on the theory of evolution, but there are few works which focus on Hayek's evolutionary concept itself. However, this concept is important for understanding Hayek's social and economic philosophy. In this paper, the concept is clarified through comparison with the theories of H. Spencer, A. Marshall and T. Veblen. The keyfeatures of Hayek's theory are that; (1) he did not use a biological analogy; (2) he thought that social evolution should be described as the development of order. Unlike Marshall, Hayek thought that a biological analogy distorted the character of social phenomenon so that the theory of social evoloution had to be unique.
In the first section of this paper, an outline of theories of Spencer, Marshall and Veblen is presented, which emphasizes how they differ in how they apply various aspects of the theory of evolution to social sciences. The second section explains Hayek's theory of evolution. In the third section the relation between the theory of evolution and the spontaneous order theory is highlighted. In the last section, the central problem raised up by Hayek is considered.
