In this timely event, Samuel Gregg will delve into the origins of the term "neoliberalism," its contested usefulness in contemporary discourse, and whether intellectuals such as F. A. Hayek and Milton Friedman fit the "neoliberal" label.
He will critically engage various contemporary criticisms of neoliberalism, which includes but is not exclusive to economist Joseph Stiglitz, who argues that neoliberalism has deepened inequality and undermined social cohesion in the West, and philosopher Francis Fukuyama, who links it to the erosion of community and the rise of populism.
Dr Gregg will also explore the intellectual foundations of classical liberalism as envisioned by thought leaders at the Mont Pelerin Society and Walter Lippmann Colloquium, emphasizing its grounding in families, communities, and other social institutions as essential components of a free society. He will connect these ideas to the current state of Western society, including the socio-political implications of the recent U.S. presidential election. This event provides an opportunity to reflect on the future of liberal democracy, the role of "neoliberalism" within it, and its broader impact on contemporary politics and society.
The lecture will feature a commentary by LSE's Paola Romero.
Meet our speakers and chair
Samuel Gregg (@DrSamuelGregg) is the Friedrich Hayek Chair in Economics and Economic History at the American Institute for Economic Research. He has a DPhil in moral philosophy and political economy from Oxford University, and an MA in political philosophy from the University of Melbourne. He has written and spoken extensively on questions of political economy, economic history, monetary theory and policy, and natural law theory.
Paola Romero is a political and moral philosopher from the Department of Philosophy, Logic, and Scientific Method at LSE. Her research has developed in the areas of political philosophy, moral philosophy, and the history of political thought. She currently explores Immanuel Kant’s theory of the state and his account of a political will.
J. McKenzie Alexander is Professor in Philosophy at the Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method at LSE. Professor Alexander's original field of research concerned evolutionary game theory as applied to the evolution of morality and social norms, though more recently his work explores problems in decision theory, more broadly construed, including topics in formal epistemology.
More about this event
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Modern economic thinking needs to reaffirm and engage with sound Hayekian ideas in this age of global interconnectedness, when the world is coming to grips with multitude of challenges, including global pandemic, climate change, social inequities and inequalities, and politico-media complex. This can only be achieved through fostering dialogue among stakeholders, which include researchers, policymakers, experts, and key decision-makers. The Hayek Programme in Economics and Liberal Political Economy at LSE provides a space where this dialogue can happen. This programme aims to contribute to the research and public debate suited to the demands of the 21st Century.
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