Neoliberals treated individual freedom as a moral principle yet sought reconciliation with religion

Evidence

The neoliberals have struggled from the outset to make their political/economic theories do dual service as a moral code. First and foremost, the thought collective worshiped at the altar of a God without restraints: “individual freedom, which it is most appropriate to regard as a moral principle of political action. Like all moral principles, it demands that it be accepted as a value in itself” (Hayek 1960, 68). However, Hayek in his original address to the first MPS meeting said, “I am convinced that unless the breach between true liberal and religious convictions can be healed, there is no hope for a revival of liberal forces” (1967, 155). The very first MPS meeting held a session on “Liberalism and Christianity” (Hartwell 1995, 47). — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 2135

Categorization

• XREF: The tension between Hayek’s demands that religion and liberalism be reconciled and the strand of market-utopianism relates to the accommodation of theocons later in US conservatism. — connects to: Neoliberalism treats freedom as an absolute moral principle divorced from religion — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 181; Neoliberalism has pursued ongoing intellectual accommodation with religious conservatives despite deep contradictions. — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 184; Neoliberal theorists valued Christianity instrumentally for enforcing market submission, not from faith. — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market: Human Rights…, 123 (+3 more)
• QUESTION: Why did Hayek think revival of liberal forces depended on healing the breach with religion? Curious about the theological commitments embedded in classical-liberal thought.

Broader Connections

• Neoliberals framed the spread of markets as dependent on moral and religious foundations #expands (0.85) — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market, 120
• Neoliberal thinkers rejected natural-rights foundations, deriving morality from market evolution #qualifies (0.80) — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market, 28