Imagining Neoliberalism: The Search for a Positive Vision in the Name of Freedom

This chapter delves into the discursive struggles and semantic disputes over the correct socio-political configurations to guide the West as taking place among the members of the Mont Pèlerin Society. The chapter begins with neoliberals’ concern about the enormous appeal of the idea of socialism that was acknowledged very enviously. Being aware of conceptual ambiguity and political contestations, it can be demonstrated, neoliberals agreed on the task to develop a “philosophy of freedom”, that is, a more complex mission than agreeing on a range of core liberal concepts. They had to be explained, equipped with meaning and—even more demanding—tied in with existing value schemes. As a historical analysis of the political-strategic war over words, the chapter will analyse the discussions on the meaning (applicability, limits) and status (rank) of key concepts within the (neo)liberal hierarchy of ideas during the 1950s—like liberty, freedom, property, rule of law and merit. It will be shown that while broadly agreeing on key concepts, the composition of the conceptual morphology was in fact heavily contested and the struggles to agree on a neoliberal edifice of ideas transnationally only partially successful. Even the discussions about the naming of their ideology remained unresolved.