Neoliberalism’s critique of rival ideologies drew on epistemological conventionalism

Evidence

The existence of the Vienna Circle had been equally crucial for its only French member and other major philosopher of science within early neoliberalism: Louis Rougier. Although one of its most unsung representatives, Rougier charted the clearest path among early neoliberals for an epistemological critique of rival political ideologies (on Rougier see Schulz-Forberg’s chapter in this volume). His portrayal of socialism as a scientific fallacy originated in his early epistemological works in which he rejected the validity of all opodictic truths. … Poincaré’s geometrical conventionalism, once extended to all disciplines, pointed to a “third way” which preserved the possibility of scientific objectivity while acknowledging the artificiality of reasoning and truth. — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 62

Categorization

• QUESTION: How exactly did Rougier’s conventionalist epistemology ground his attack on socialism as scientific fallacy? Worth chasing if writing on ideological critique methods.
• XREF: Connects to the Vienna Circle/logical positivism lineage discussed elsewhere in this book and in earlier chapters on neoliberal epistemology. — connects to: Neoliberal epistemology developed in pre-1935 philosophy-of-science debates as critical conventionalism. — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 34; Interwar neoliberals broke with laissez-faire empiricism to build a conventionalist science of liberalism — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 52; Neoliberalism reframed politics as an epistemological question of what can be known — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 54 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Neoliberal epistemology drew on Poincaré’s conventionalism to attack socialist rationalism #exemplifies (0.93) — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 62
• Neoliberalism reframed politics as an epistemological question of what can be known #expands (0.92) — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 54
• Neoliberalism fused philosophy of science and political economy against totalitarianism #corroborates (0.85) — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 53
• Neoliberalism pairs a scientific self-image with elite-directed ideological strategy, not democratic science #expands (0.78) — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 92