Friedman broke from MPS founders by embracing radical change and contrarianism

Evidence

Friedman’s approach to the problem of terminology distinguished him from his pre de ces sors in the Mont Pèlerin Society in signifi cant ways. His concerns about the term “liberalism” were wholly semantic and not at all substantive. An earlier generation at Chicago and in the Mont Pèlerin Society had expressed explicit dissatisfactions with the “Manchester liberalism” of their ostensible pre de ces sors and a desire to replace it with a novel worldview. In contrast, Friedman explained that he thought he “was going back to some fundamentals rather than creating anything new”; to him, the word “liberalism” was inadequate only because of the loss of the meaning it had once held. His unequivocal repre sen ta tion of himself as a “radical” and his professed abhorrence of the term “conservative” revealed a sensibility that was unafraid of rapid and transformative social change. Hayek, Röpke, and Knight had emphasized the importance of continuity, and had centered their criticisms of the New Deal on the unpre ce dented pace and scope of the social transformations it entailed. … Friedman, in contrast, advocated for the immediate implementation of his policy suggestions regardless of the diffi culties entailed in a pro cess of transition. He deliberately cultivated and carefully protected the persona of a contrarian gadfl y in the venues of public debate. When he received an inquiry about joining Eisenhower’s Council of Economic Advisers, he worried that in such a position it would seem “right and natural to compromise” and turned it down. “I think society needs a few kooks, a few extremists,” he explained. … To keep the fi sh that they carried on long journeys lively and fresh, sea captains used to introduce an eel into the barrel,” his frequent sparring partner Paul Samuelson said. “In the economic profession, Milton Friedman is that eel.” — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion, 445

Categorization

• XREF: Contrasts with earlier chapters on Hayek, Röpke, and Knight emphasizing continuity and organic evolution; connects to the MPS founders’ fear of rapid change. — connects to: Friedman rejected the MPS’s deliberate-moderation rhetoric for confrontation — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free…, 472; Friedman deliberately used unqualified rhetoric while Hayek stayed aloof from politics — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free…, 559; Friedman deliberately courted unpopular positions because he found them low-cost and rewarding — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free…, 391 (+1 more)
• DEFINE: Clarifies how Friedman’s self-description as ‘radical’ and rejection of ‘conservative’ and ‘liberalism’ differed from the founding generation’s terminology debates.

Broader Connections

• Friedman deliberately balanced utopian ideals against incremental politically feasible proposals #qualifies (0.80) — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion, 493