Party Focus Question

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

We should through this dichotomy out the window, along with vague polemic uses of the term "neoliberalism."

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

We should through this dichotomy out the window, along with vague polemic uses of the term "neoliberalism."

There's nothing vague about neoliberalism. It's a very specific, very definite set of political, economic and moral beliefs and assumptions with a very narrow base of advocates (although a plethora of useful idiots) and translating into very concrete policies.

That's a rather vague description for something so specific.

The term over the decades has meant social market ordoliberalism, been used as a broad category including both Austrian and Chicago schools - among others, a synonym for 'Third Way' Blairites and New Democrats , and now whatever this thing is that you are talking about. The term is more confusing than enlightening.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Here's a good description.

If I had to take one issue with it, I'd say I wish he gave more importance to the moral tenets that underscore neoliberalism (namely the idea that the value of anything - including human beings - is determined by "the market", ie by how much people are willing to pay for it). This is why you end up with beliefs that the rich and successful ought to be admired, and that the poor are undeserving moochers. It's the ultimate conflation of might and right.

I think using "neoliberalism" to describe all of this has the danger of conflating a cluster of economic theories, particular policies and institutions, and these moral tenets you are describing.  These things don't necessarily run together, and in fact may diverge quite considerably.