Neoliberalism crystallized partly as opposition to scientists promoting planned socialism

Evidence

Faced with the scientific and rationalist optimism of the unity of science movement as well as much of Marxism, early neoliberals demarcated and defended a liberal science against progressive scientists who promoted science as the midwife of social change. Crucially, they developed a new theory of knowledge-in-society which fused together philosophy of science and political economy into a single set of hypotheses. In these debates, concerns about the role of science in society linked up with the most pressing political question of the day: the rise of fascism and totalitarianism. — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 53 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

In general, neoliberal scholars apply a two-level argument: planning and redistribution does not work in principle, but even if the ideal plan could be designed, implementation would be impossible. — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1367 (#expands, via linked claim)

It is clear, however, that the ensuing post–World War II development debates were situated at the confluence of a whole range of critical issues (such as the character of the state, the role of international trade, and the influence of socialism), which at the time caused concerned neoliberals sleepless nights. — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1273 (#qualifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Conservative views were broadly tolerated as scientific, socialist ones narrowly. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 102; Neoliberalism fused philosophy of science and political economy against totalitarianism — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 53; Neoliberal development thought predated and coexisted with left-wing theories rather than countering them — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 1266 (+7 more)

Related

• Neoliberalism fused philosophy of science and political economy against totalitarianism (similarity 0.89)
• Wartime neoliberals attacked applied natural-science planning as ‘scientism’ without attacking science itself (similarity 0.87)
• Early neoliberalism positioned scientists as exemplars of liberal order, not communism (similarity 0.87)
• Neoliberalism’s scientific framing made knowledge and truth political questions (similarity 0.86)
• Neoliberalism pairs a scientific self-image with elite-directed ideological strategy, not democratic science (similarity 0.85)
• Interwar neoliberals broke with laissez-faire empiricism to build a conventionalist science of liberalism (similarity 0.85)
• Neoliberal critique deployed a two-pronged argument against planning (similarity 0.84)
• Neoliberal development thought predated and coexisted with left-wing theories rather than countering them (similarity 0.84)
• Neoliberals rejected classical liberalism’s rationalism in favor of critical conventionalism. (similarity 0.84)
• Neoliberalism encompassed bitter internal conflicts, not a unified doctrine. (similarity 0.84)
• Neoliberalism reframed politics as an epistemological question of what can be known (similarity 0.84)
• Neoliberalism is best understood as open questions with a constant goal (similarity 0.83)
• Neoliberalism’s leading thinkers were Austrian refugee philosophers of science (similarity 0.83)
• French neoliberalism emerged from the double discrediting of classical liberalism and socialist planning. (similarity 0.83)
• Development debates forced neoliberals to confront state character, trade, and socialism together (similarity 0.83)

Broader Connections

• Neoliberalism fused philosophy of science and political economy against totalitarianism #corroborates (0.80) — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 53
• Neoliberal critique deployed a two-pronged argument against planning #expands (0.75) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1367
• Development debates forced neoliberals to confront state character, trade, and socialism together #qualifies (0.72) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1273
• Neoliberal development thought predated and coexisted with left-wing theories rather than countering them #corroborates (0.70) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1266