Europe, neoliberalism, and the retreat of political philosophy

Neoliberal policies have dominated the global arena over the past decades, but it remains difficult to give a clear definition of neoliberalism. Taking my cue from the European debt crisis, I argue that – contrary to common belief – neoliberalism should not be conflated with any trend in contemporary economic thought. Rather, neoliberalism should be seen as a more general and abstract art of reasoning which has become widespread in several areas of study, and which ultimately serves the purpose of debunking the very idea of social justice. Viewed in this light, neoliberalism resembles and somehow revives ancient sophistry, as it does not name any propositive doctrine but only a particular diversified set of arguments, all of which aim at deligitimizing any attempt to oppose the concept ‘might is right’. Thus, the advance of neoliberalism and the retreat of all philosophical theories about the ‘good society’ ultimately appear as the two sides of the same coin