Neoliberalism was a flexible project, not a fixed doctrine with essential content
Evidence
An understanding of neoliberalism needs to take into account its dynamic character in confronting both socialist planning philosophies and classical laissez-faire liberalism, rather than searching for timeless (essentialist) content. It was primarily a quest for alternative intellectual resources to revive a moribund political project. It was flexible in its intellectual commitments, oriented primarily toward forging some new doctrines that might capture the imaginations of future generations. At various junctures, this might involve unexpected feints to the left as well as the right. — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 115
Categorization
- DEFINE: Defines neoliberalism by its dynamic/strategic function — revival of a moribund political project — rather than by fixed content.
- DEEPTHINKING: This is a genuinely paradigm-shifting framing: it overturns the common essentialist characterization of neoliberalism as a coherent ideology, recasting it as a flexible instrumental project. Resists easy summary.
- corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 115
- XREF: connects to: Neoliberalism was both a class-power project and a coherent ideology. — Quinn Slobodian, Globalists: The End of Empire and the…, 478; Neoliberalism was never a unified doctrine but three distinct sects from its founding. — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 120; Neoliberalism may not cohere as a unified doctrine in actual practice. — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 185 (+16 more)
Broader Connections
- Neoliberal continuity survived via pragmatic adjustment, not doctrinal purity
#corroborates(0.90) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1615 - Neoliberalism survives crises through deliberate policy adaptability, not fixed doctrine.
#corroborates(0.88) — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 206