Neoliberals rejected classical liberalism’s rationalism in favor of critical conventionalism.

Evidence

On the theoretical level, early neoliberals sought to distance themselves from the rationalism, empiricism, and naturalism which prevailed in classical liberalism, and to adopt a critical conventionalism, where knowledge and truths were established intersubjectively in a constant process of exchange between theories and the test of experience. As a result, neoliberal thinkers devised a skeptical view of the reach of the social sciences as their prime angle from which to attack competing ideologies promoting an instrumentalist view of knowledge. Paradoxically, they also came to share many premises with the most sophisticated of their adversaries. — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 90

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the distinctive epistemological stance of early neoliberalism — critical conventionalism — as a deliberate departure from classical liberal rationalism.
• XREF: Echoes the reader’s prior notes on how movements’ self-descriptions fracture simple caricatures; supports the map-building goal of distinguishing neoliberal from liberal thought. — connects to: Neoliberals do not practice the laissez-faire they preach to the public.; Neoliberalism broke sharply with prewar classical liberalism rather than continuing it — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 778; Neoliberals coined the term themselves but abandoned it to claim continuity with classical liberalism. — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 2110 (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Neoliberal philosophers rejected the idea that scientific method could directly shape social reform. #corroborates (0.90) — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 64
• Neoliberals rejected the deistic self-regulating market as naive optimism. #responds-to (0.80) — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market, 332
• Neoliberalism broke sharply with prewar classical liberalism rather than continuing it #expands (0.75) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 778
• Early neoliberals rejected laissez-faire and wanted strong state action #corroborates (0.75)
• Neoliberals coined the term themselves but abandoned it to claim continuity with classical liberalism. #expands (0.70) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 2110