Neoliberalism lacks unified theory and is riven by real internal conflict

Evidence

Taken as a whole, this book seeks to move the study of neoliberalism beyond what has become a set of clichés that inhibit rather than advance understanding of the larger phenomenon. The chapters demonstrate varieties of neoliberal epistemology beyond market worship, and proposals for policy beyond a bullet-point list of edicts. They outline a vision of subjectivity beyond the atomized utility-maximizing individual, and of organization beyond the shock doctrine. Grasping neoliberalism in its complexity will help its opponents better identify their antagonist, and its advocates contend both with the departures from classical liberalism and with the absence of a unified theory. Recent splits within the neoliberal universe like the founding of the Property and Freedom Society by racialist right-wing libertarian Hans-Hermann Hoppe, or the failure of cosmopolitan neoliberals to purge the social conservative right-wing neoliberals from Germany’s Hayek Society, should not be read prematurely as signs of disintegration. There has, however, certainly been a stronger dose of serious conflict in the neoliberal camp, and we can expect more of it in the face of serious challenges to the competitive order in issues like climate change, growing inequality, and mass human mobility. — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 45

Categorization

• XREF: Aligned with the reader’s purpose of fracturing the caricature of a monolithic neoliberalism; connects to Mirowski’s and Slobodian’s other works on neoliberal thought collectives. — connects to: Neoliberalism was always a political doctrine ungrounded in economic theory. — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 90; Neoliberalism is internally diverse and marked by real internal conflict — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 45; Neoliberalism lacks a stable meaning or historically specific constituency — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 17 (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Neoliberalism is internally diverse and marked by real internal conflict #corroborates (0.95) — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 45
• Neoliberalism may not cohere as a unified doctrine in actual practice. #corroborates (0.90) — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 185
• Neoliberalism lacks a stable meaning or historically specific constituency #expands (0.80) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 17
• Neoliberalism is a contested but usable analytical category rather than a fixed ideology #corroborates (0.80) — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 15
• Merely calling neoliberals fractured fails to define neoliberalism. #responds-to (0.80) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 2173
• Neoliberalism’s cohesion comes from thought-collective structure, not explicit doctrine #qualifies (0.80) — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 916
• Neoliberalism is internally plural yet not formless #corroborates (0.75) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 10
• Disputes over the word neoliberalism signaled real disagreement over its content #exemplifies (0.75) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 294
• Neoliberalism holds together several unresolved internal contradictions by asserting both sides at once #corroborates (0.72) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 2142