Early neoliberal economists rejected politicizing science while rivaling interventionists did not.

Evidence

Despite their personal and professional differences, Knight and Viner both sought to distance themselves from partisan debate and therefore held aloof from organizations they perceived to have an ideological agenda. They adopted this disinterested stance in deliberate opposition to the approach of their interventionist colleagues, whom they consistently criticized for their frequent engagements in politics and their willingness to validate matters of opinion with the mantle of science. — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion, 130

Categorization

• XREF: Feeds the reader’s core interest in how MPS ideas connected to policy — the disinterestedness ethos shaped the movement’s later institutional strategy. — connects to: Neoliberal philosophers rejected the idea that scientific method could directly shape social reform. — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 64; Early neoliberalism positioned scientists as exemplars of liberal order, not communism — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 78

Broader Connections

• Neoliberal philosophers rejected the idea that scientific method could directly shape social reform. #corroborates (0.85) — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 64