Ordoliberal and public-choice strands of neoliberalism explicitly reject Friedman’s natural-liberty rhetoric

Evidence

In contrast to Friedman’s naive rhetoric about natural liberty, these conservative strands of neoliberalism were far more useful to those seeking to bolster the legal foundations of the competitive market. They shared an evolutionary social theory, an attention to the role of morality (and particularly Christianity) in a market order, and a commitment to using law to protect the intermediate institutions of civil society from political interference. — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market, 353

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Michael Sandel’s and Wendy Brown’s critiques that markets are not self-sustaining but depend on non-market moral institutions. — connects to: Friedman framed interventionists as paternalists and intellectuals as self-interested in power — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free…, 486; Friedman deliberately balanced utopian ideals against incremental politically feasible proposals — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free…, 493; Reading neoliberalism only through Friedman obscures its multiple strategies toward the public (+2 more)