Quinn Slobodian, author of 'Hayek's Bastards', dives into the unsettling connections between neoliberalism and far-right ideologies. He discusses 'new fusionism', a blend of neoliberalism and biological determinism that gained traction in the 1990s. Quinn explores how these ideas have transformed from fringe beliefs into mainstream discourse. He unpacks the resurgence of race science and its ramifications in today’s political climate, showcasing the troubling alignment of capitalism with identity and hierarchy.
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Bastards Lineage
Quinn Slobodian's interest in "bastards" stems from John Ralston Saul's book Voltaire's Bastards.
He even wrote a college essay titled "Babouf's Bastards" about the French Revolution.
insights INSIGHT
Post-Cold War Neoliberalism
Neoliberals faced a "what now?" moment after the Cold War's end, leading to internal debates and new propositions.
This period was intellectually productive, exploring new enemies and human nature's role in market societies.
insights INSIGHT
New Fusionism
The "new fusionism" of the 90s combined neoliberal policies with scientism, justifying hierarchy using biology.
This marked a shift from earlier neoliberalism and fueled the resurgence of ideas about race, IQ, and genetics.
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Germany is Doing Itself In
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Thilo Sarrazin
Selfish reasons to have more kids
Bryan Caplan
Hayek's Bastards
Hayek's Bastards
Quinn Slobodian
Chimpanzee Politics
Frans de Waal
The Bell Curve
Charles Murray
Voltaire's Bastards
The Dictatorship of Reason in the West
John Ralston Saul
In 'Voltaire's Bastards,' John Ralston Saul dissects the contradictions, delusions, and illusions that have brought the world to the brink of confusion and crisis. The book examines the theology of power embedded in modern conceptions of Reason, arguing that the ascendancy of Reason has led to a world dominated by technocrats and elites who control knowledge and information. Saul critiques the hypocrisies of democracy, the obsession with efficiency and expertise, and the failure of modern societies to address critical issues such as war, economics, and environmental degradation. The book is a call to rethink traditional institutions and notions as we move into a new era[3][4][5].
We are joined by yet another TMK favorite, Quinn Slobodian, who is author of Hayek's Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right. We discuss Quinn’s analysis of “new fusionism” or a mutant strain of neoliberalism that crystallized in the 1990s, which sought to ground and defend neoliberal policies through their own bastardization of biological sciences — cognitive, behavioral, evolutionary, genetic, and so on. They then used scientism to justify and propagate political ideas and economic models based on hardwired human nature and hierarchical differences between races, cultures, and intelligence. The fringes of the 1990s have now become the mainstream of the 2020s.
••• Hayek's Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right | Quinn Slobodian https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9781890951917/hayeks-bastards
Standing Plugs:
••• Order Jathan’s new book: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520398078/the-mechanic-and-the-luddite
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••• Subscribe to TMK on patreon for premium episodes: https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills
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