Friedrich A. Hayek (1899–1992), probably the most famous exponent of the Austrian school of economics, published The Road to Serfdom in 1944. It quickly became a classic on liberalism. From the abridgment of the Reader’s Digest, a cartoon version was also created, a Latin and Greek version of which will be made available. Correction and positive criticism are welcome!
Cover 00 The Road to Serfdom in Cartoons
Via ad servitūtem picta
summārium operis
Friderīcī Hayek
Ēditiō Græcolatīna
Ἡ πρὸς δουλείαν ὁδὸς ἐν εἰκόσιν
ἐπιτομὴ τοῦ ἔργου
Φρεδερίχου Αἷεκ
Ἔκδοσις Ἑλληνορωμαϊκή
Is a serf a δοῦλος or servus? What about θής? (Εἵλως seems wrong). Or mancipium for the Latin?
I’d rather use common words and δοῦλος seems to be more common than θής . Same for servus vs. mancipium .
Ἡ πρὸς δουλείαν ὁδὸς ἐν εἴκοσιν
“in 20 ”?
i.e. correct the accent.
I stand corrected, thanks! Moreover there are only 18 steps.
Step 01 War forces national planning.
Propter bellum cōnsilia pūblica fīunt.
Διὰ τὸν πόλεμον συνέδρια κοινὰ γίγνεται.
You know regimentation was forced by your country’s enemies. Stay on the job. WPB
Scīs enim hujusmodī disciplīnam ob hostēs necessāriam esse.
Permanē in opere. C.B.P.*
Οἶσθα γὰρ τοιαύτην τὴν δίαιταν διὰ τοὺς πολεμίους ἀναγκαίαν οὖσαν.
Ἐπιμένει τῷ ἔργῳ. Ε.Π.Π.*
* The War Production Board (WPB) was an agency of the United States government that supervised war production during World War II.
Collēgium ad Bellum Parandum, cujus sodālēs per secundum bellum mundānum fuērunt magistrātūs Cīvitātum Fœderātārum Americæ.
Ἑταιρεία τοῦ τὸν Πόλεμον Παρασκευάζεσθαι, ἧσπερ ἑταῖροι διὰ τοῦ δευτέρου παγκόσμίου πολέμου ὑπῆρξαν δυνάσται τῶν Ἡνωμενῶν Ἀμερικῆς Πολῑτειῶν.
Step 02
Many want the planning to stay Arguments for a peace production board are heard before the war ends.
Multī volunt ista cōnsilia manēre.
Ante bellum fīnītum, argūmenta audiuntur prō collēgiō ad pācem parandam.
Πόλλοι βούλονται ταῦτα τὰ συνέδρια μένειν.
Πρὶν ἂν ὁ πόλεμος καταλυθῇ, πίσται ἀκούονται ὑπὲρ ἑταιρείας τοῦ τὴν εἰρήνην παρασκευάζεσθαι.
Wartime planners who want to stay in power, encourage the idea.
Cōnsiliāriī autem in tempore bellī, cupidī perpetuæ potestātis, rem suādent.
Ūtile bellō idem ac pāce!
Οἱ δ’ ἐπὶ τοῦ πολέμου σύμβουλοι, ἐπιθῡμοῦντες τῆς συνεχοῦς ἐξουσίας, ἐκεῖνο πείθουσιν.
Τὸ ἐν πολέμῳ χρηστὸν ταὐτὸ καὶ ἐν εἰρήνῃ.
Step 03
The planners promise Utopias.*
A rosy plan for farmers goes well in rural areas, a plan for industrial workers is popular in the
Plan
Alterum bonā spē cōnsilium rūrī agricolīs placet. Alterum autem in urbibus opificibus grātum est, et cētera. Multī vērō novī cōnsiliāriī dēsignātī sunt
Cōnsilium
Τὸ μὲν ἕτερον εὔελπι βούλευμα ἐν ἀγρῷ ἀρέσκει τοῖς γεωργοῖς. Τὸ δ’ ἕτερον ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι κεχάρισται τοῖς δημιουργοῖς, καὶ τὰ λοιπά. Πολλοὶ δὴ νέοι σύμβουλοι ᾕρηνται
Βούλευμα
* From the Greek not-a-place, title of the book written in 1561 by St. Thomas More, meaning a nearly perfect community or society.
Ē Græcā nōn locus, īnscrīptiō librī annō MDLXI ā dīvō Thomā Mōrō scrīptī, significāns modo nōn perfectam societātem vel rem pūblicam quamdam.
Ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐ τόπος, ἐπιγραφὴ οὖσα τοῦ βιβλίου τῷ ἔτει ͵ΑϠΞΑʹ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Θωμᾶ Μώρου γραφέντος, σημαίνουσα ὅσον οὐ τελείαν κοινωνίαν ἢ πολῑτείαν τινά.
Step 04
But they can’t agree on ONE Utopia
Sed nōn possunt ūnī Ūtopiæ assentīrī.
Pāce cōnfectā, lēgislātōrēs quidem congregantur, nōn autem amplius quasi bellō ūnanimiter vīctūrī.
Ἀλλὰ οὐχ οἷοί τ’ εἰσὶ συνομολογεῖν μίαν Οὐτοπίαν.
Ἐίρήνης δὲ γενομένης, οἱ μὲν νομοθέται συνάγονται, οὐκέτι δ’ ὡς πολέμῳ ὁμοθῡμαδὸν κρατήσοντες.
The planners nearly come to blows. Each has his own pet plan, won’t budge.
Parumque abest quīn cōnsiliāriī alapīs invicem cædant. Ūnusquisque enim cōnsiliolum suum habēns nōn trānsiget.
Καὶ ὀλίγου δέουσιν οἱ σύμβουλοι ῥαπίσμασιν ἀλλήλους λαβεῖν. Ἕκαστος γὰρ τὸ αὑτοῦ βουλευμάτιον ἔχων οὐ μὴ διομολογήσεται.
Step 05
And citizens can’t agree either.
Neque cīvēs possunt assentīrī.
Οὐδ’ οἱ πολῖται οἷοί τ’ εἰσὶ συνομολογεῖν.
What the farmer likes, the factory worker doesn’t like.
Quæ enim agricolīs placent, ea opificibus displicent.
Novum cōnsilium pūblicum.
Ὅσα γὰρ ἀρέσκει τοῖς γεωργοῖς, τοσαῦτα ἀπαρέσκει τοῖς δημιουργοῖς.
Καινὸν βούλευμα κοινόν.
Step 06
The planners hate to force agreement
Most national planners are well-meaning idealists, balk at any use of force.
Plērīque ē cōnsiliāriīs pūblicīs, cum somniantēs benevolī sint, nōlunt vim alicui īnferre.
Οἱ δὲ πλεῖστοι τῶν κοινῶν συμβούλων ὀνειροπόλοι εὔνοοι ὄντες οὐ μὲν βούλονται οὐδένα βιάζεσθαι.
They hope for some miracle of public agreement as to their patchwork plan.
Spērant autem dīvīnitus quōdammodo plēbem cōnsiliō compositō eōrum assēnsūram essem.
Ἐλπίζουσι δὲ θείως πως τὸν δῆμον συνομολογήσειν τὸ σύνθετον βούλευμα αὐτῶν.
Step 07
They try to “sell” the plan to all…
In an unsuccessful effort to educate people to uniform views, planners establish a giant propaganda machine, which coming dictator will find handy.
Cōnsiliāriī, vānē studentēs īnstituendō hominēs ad ūnam sententiam, sibi parant immēnsam prædicātiōnem, quæ adventūrō dictātōrī ūtilis erit.
Οἱ γὰρ σύμβουλοι, ματαίως σπουδάζοντες παιδεῦσαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους εἰς μίαν γνώμην, παρασκευάζονται κήρυξιν ὑπερμεγέθη, ἥ γε τῷ ἐπιόντι τυράννῳ χρησίμη ἔσται.
propaganda
præcōnium
media* in potestāte
κήρυγμα
μέσα* κρατούμενα* Technologies for mass-communication of letters, images, sounds etc., being in some sense in the middle.
Artēs mēchanicæ commūnicandō cum vulgō litterās, imāginēs, sonōs etc, cum ipsæ quōdammodo in mediō sint.
Τέχναι μηχανικαὶ τοῦ μεταδιδόναι τοῖς πολλοῖς γραμμάτων, εἰκόνων, ἤχων κ.τ.λ., αὐταὶ οὖσαί πως ἐν μέσῳ.
Step 08
The gullible do find agreement.
Meanwhile, growing national confusion leads to protest meetings.
Ἐν τῷ μεταξύ, τῆς τοῦ δήμου ταραχῆς αὐξανομένης, ἕπονται στάσεις.
The least educated, thrilled and convinced by fiery oratory, form a party.
Nam indoctī, cum sibi persuāsum sit ā validissimīs dīcendī, cōnstituunt sē in factiōnem.
Οἱ γὰρ ἀπαίδευτοι, ἐκπεπεισμένοι ὑπὸ τῶν δεινοτάτων λέγειν, συνίστανται εἰς μερίδα.
Step 09
Confidence in planners fades
The more that the planners improvise, the greater the disturbance to normal business.
Ὅσῳ γὰρ μᾶλλον οἱ σύμβουλοι μηχανῶνται, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον τὰ πράγματα ταράττεται.
Everybody suffers. People now feel–rightly–that planners can’t get things done!
Ὥστε πάντες κάμνουσιν. Νῦν δ’ οἱ ἄνθρωποι οὐκ οἴονται, καὶ ὀρθῶς, τοὺς συμβούλους δύνασθαι τὰ ἔργα διαπρᾶξαι.
Let’s get a man who can make a plan work!
Ēligātur qui possit cōnsilium captum perficere.
Αἱρεθήτω ὁ δυνάμενος ποιεῖν ἃ ἐβουλεύσατο.
Step 10
The strong man is given power.
In desperation, planners authorize the new party leader to hammer out a plan and force its obedience.
Cōnsiliāriī ergō, ad angustiās dētrūsī, potestātem dant novæ factiōnis ducī, cōnsiliō compositō, obœdientem reddendī plēbem.
Οἱ οὖν σύμβουλοι ἀποροῦντες ἐξουσίαν διδόασι τῷ τῆς νέας μερίδος ἡγεμόνι, συνθέντι βούλευμα, πειθομένον παρέχειν τὸν δῆμον.
Later, they’ll dispense with him, or so they think.
Posteā vērō, sīc enim arbitrantur, remittent eum.
Ἔπειτα δή, οὕτως γὰρ ἡγοῦνται, ἀναπέμψουσιν αὐτόν.
Step 11
The party takes over the country.
By now, confusion is so great that obedience to the new leader must be obtained at all costs.
Nunc vērō tanta perturbātiō est ut plēbs novō ducī obœdiēns omnī modō reddenda sit.
Νῦν δὴ τοσαύτη ταραχή ἐστιν ὥστε παντὶ τρόπῳ δεῖν τὸν δῆμον παρέχεσθαι πειθομένον τῷ νέῳ ἡγεμόνι.
Maybe you join the party yourself to aid national unity.
Forte autem ipse factiōnem sequeris ut plēbs ūnīus voluntātis fīat.
Τάχα δ’ αὐτὸς αἱροῦ τὴν μερίδα ἵνα ὁ δῆμος μιᾶς γνώμης γίγνηται.
Step 12
A negative aim welds party unity.
Early step of all dictators is to inflame the majority in common cause against some scapegoat minority.
Prius enim omnēs dictātōrēs īnstīgant plērōsque commūniter adversārī pauciōribus ut piāculō cuidam.
Πρότερον γὰρ πάντες οἱ τύραννοι παροξύνουσι τοὺς πολλοὺς κοινοπρᾱγεῖν ἐναντίον τῶν ὀλίγων ὡς καθάρματός τινος.
In Germany, the negative aim was Anti-Semitism.
In Germāniā vērō prōpositum Jūdæīs adversārium fuit.
Ἐν δὴ τῇ Γερμανίᾳ ἡ προαίρεσις ἔτυχεν ἐναντία τῶν Ἰουδαίων οὗσα.
Step 13
No one opposes the leader’s plan.
It would be suicide; new secret police are ruthless.
Καὶ γὰρ ἂν ἀπολλύοιο, τῶν τῆς κρυπτείας φονικῶν ὄντων.
Ability to force obedience always becomes the No. 1 virtue in the “planned state.”
Ἡ δὲ δεινότης τοῦ πειθομένον παρέχειν τὸν δῆμον ἀεὶ γίγνεται ἀρετὴ μεγίστη ἐν πολῑτείᾳ τῇ κατὰ βουλὴν διοικουμένῃ.
Now all freedom is gone.
Itaque tota libertas amissa est.
Ὥστε ὅλη ἡ ἐλευθερία ἀποβέβληται.
Step 14
Your profession is planned.
The wider job choice promised by now defunct planners turns out to be a tragic farce.
Ex enim optiōne plūrium operārum ā cōnsiliāriīs dēfūnctīs prōmissā, mīmus horribilis ēvādit.
Ἁπὸ γὰρ τῆς αἱρέσεως πλειόνων ἐργασιῶν ἥνπερ σύμβουλοι οἱ ἀπηλλαγμένοι ὑπέσχοντο, μῖμος φοβερός τις ἀποβαίνει.
Planners have never delivered, never will be able to.
Cōnsiliāriī igitur numquam reddidērunt, neque umquam poterunt.
Οἱ τοίνυν σύμβουλοι οὔποτε ἀπέδωκαν, ουδέποτε οἷοι τ’ ἔσονται.
But I’m not a carpenter, I’m a plumber.
Vērumtamen nōn sum lignārius, sed plumbārius!
Πλὴν οὐκ εἰμὶ ξυλουργός, ἀλλὰ μολυβδουργός.
I can’t believe we came up with a very similar idea, see here .
This is referring to Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and her Green New Deal, right?
“Secret police” is “agentes”? Why exactly? “Agentes” essentially means “doer” or “maker”, right? I used the word “militia” for “police”. Far from a perfect translation, but seems rather reasonable. I could have used “equites”, however, I think modern readers would have even greater trouble understanding what I meant.
