Neoliberalism's Far-Right Evolution: Quinn Slobodian on Hayek's Bastards

The Evolution of Neoliberal Thought

• 💡 Quinn Slobodian's latest book, "Hayek's Bastards," traces the evolution of neoliberalism, focusing on its shift towards the far-right.
• 🚀 Previous works like "Globalists" covered the broad history of reassembling capitalism post-WWI, while "Crackup Capitalism" explored privatizing government through special economic zones.
• 🎯 "Hayek's Bastards" delves into the 1990s and 2000s, examining how libertarianism began to incorporate scientific claims, particularly regarding race and IQ, leading to a pipeline to the alt-right.

The "Three Hards" of Radicalized Neoliberalism

• 🔑 The book identifies three core tenets: hard borders, hardwired human nature, and hard money.
• ⚖️ While classical libertarianism might advocate for open borders, this radicalized wing emphasizes criteria for entry based on perceived capacity, often linked to IQ.
• 🧬 The concept of hardwired human nature became central, with a turn towards IQ racism and scientific claims about racial and gender differences, distinct from earlier eugenics movements.
• 💰 Hard money advocates, particularly the Ron Paul-aligned faction, pushed for a return to gold-backed currency, a radical move that could destabilize existing financial systems.

The "Lost" Cold War and Shifting Enemies

• 🥶 Surprisingly, many neoliberals felt they had lost the Cold War despite the fall of the Soviet Union, believing the enemy had merely mutated from communism to