Neoliberalism redefines coercion so that no market exchange can ever count as coercive

Evidence

Late in life, Milton Friedman posited three species of freedom—economic, social and political—but it appears that economic freedom was the only one that mattered. Some modern figures such as Amartya Sen attempt to factor in your given range of choices in an index of your freedom, but neoliberals will have none of that. They seek to paint all “coercion” as evil, but without admitting into consideration any backstory of the determinants of your intentions. Everyone is treated as expressing untethered context-free hankering, as if they were born yesterday into solitary confinement; this is the hidden heritage of entrepreneurialism of the self. This commandment cashes out as: no market can ever be coercive. — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 167

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes Foucault’s genealogy of the entrepreneur-of-the-self and connects to broader critiques of choice-based freedom. — connects to: Neoliberalism has no answer for subjects who use liberty against it — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 1873; Chicago neoliberalism recoded freedom so no economic transaction could count as coercive — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 777; Within neoliberalism, one’s theory of markets determines one’s definition of freedom — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 167 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Chicago neoliberalism recoded freedom so no economic transaction could count as coercive #corroborates (1.00) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 777
• Within neoliberalism, one’s theory of markets determines one’s definition of freedom #expands (0.75) — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 167