Quinn Slobodian, a Canadian historian and author of 'Hayek's Bastards', shares insights on the far-right's ideologies reshaped by neoliberalism. He delves into their fixation on collapse, race, and the controversial narratives surrounding intelligence. Slobodian critiques how these ideas manifest in personal relationships and wider economic motivations, while exploring the influence of figures like Elon Musk on modern politics. He questions the future of capitalism in light of growing inequalities and the end of Fukuyama’s 'end of history' narrative.
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Childhood Shapes Racial Views
Quinn Slobodian grew up on a small island off Vancouver Island where he first went to school in a former residential school building.
Later, his family moved to Lesotho near apartheid South Africa, deeply shaping his understanding of racial and colonial histories.
insights INSIGHT
The Three Hards Explained
The 'three hards' are hardwired human nature, hard borders, and hard money, which distort original neoliberal ideas from Hayek.
These concepts reflect far-right reinterpretations blending rigid biology, nationalism, and monetary fixation.
insights INSIGHT
Gold as Flight to Safety
The far right uses hard money like gold as a refuge against a volatile, deregulated neoliberal world.
This 'flight to safety' is a way to stabilize an otherwise fluid, uncertain economic environment.
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Mandibles is a dystopian novel exploring themes of societal collapse, economic instability, and the resilience of the human spirit. The story follows a family's struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by economic turmoil and environmental disaster. The novel's exploration of resource scarcity, social unrest, and the breakdown of traditional systems offers a cautionary tale about the fragility of civilization. The characters' resourcefulness and determination to rebuild their lives in the face of adversity highlight the enduring strength of the human spirit. Mandibles serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of preparedness and adaptability in the face of unforeseen challenges.
Snow Crash
Neal Stephenson
Published in 1992, 'Snow Crash' is a science fiction novel by Neal Stephenson that delves into a future where the United States has fragmented into corporate city-states and the internet has evolved into a virtual reality called the Metaverse. The story follows Hiro Protagonist, a pizza delivery driver and part-time hacker, and Y.T., a teenage skateboard courier, as they navigate a complex world threatened by a mysterious computer virus and a powerful drug known as Snow Crash. The novel explores themes of history, linguistics, anthropology, and computer science, and is noted for its prescient vision of the metaverse and its influence on Silicon Valley innovators[2][3][5].
Quinn Slobodian is a Canadian historian. His new book, Hayek’s Bastards: The Neoliberal Roots of the Populist Right is a deep dive into the set of far-right ideologues currently dominating US politics.
Slobodian tracks how neoliberal thought has changed since Friedrich Hayek’s vision of unfettered capitalism went mainstream 50 years ago.
In this conversation with Ash Sarkar, Slobodian talks about the reasons behind the new far-right’s obsessions with collapse, race, gold, and IQ.
Who are the current crop of neoliberals influencing politics? What is their vision of the future and how do they plan to get there? Why does Elon Musk have so many male children? And if Fukuyama’s ‘end of history’ has now ended, will this new era offer us anything other than a frisson of excitement, before a time of deeper inequality ensues?
Novara Media 
