The Invisible Doctrine
The secret history of Neoliberalism and how it came to control your life
George Monbiot deconstructs the roots, secretive propagation and deep impact of a doctrine that has played a profound role in transforming our economics, politics, environment, and how we've come to view ourselves.
Since the 1970s and collapse of Keynesian economics, Neoliberal policy has dominated the political & economic agenda of the West. The “invisible doctrine” that very few of us fully understand, neoliberalism has come to both govern and constrain our lives. A core driver of economic inequality and social atomization – it is, at once, prime mover and chief obfuscator of the urgent & catastrophic environmental crises we now face.
The Invisible Doctrine explores the secret history of neoliberalism – from its development in the late ‘30s by a pair of obscure Austrian political philosophers in exile, to its clandestine propagation by a wealthy elite, to the covert history of think tanks and dark money, to the rise of its influence in the US & UK administrations of the 70s and 80s, to the ideology that has come to control our lives today – the only thing “liberal” about neoliberalism is its single-minded dedication to allowing corporations to operate as freely and unrestricted as possible, damn the consequences.
Monbiot lays out an irrefutable case for the reality that neoliberal policies are fundamentally incompatible with the preservation of life on earth, as we know it. This world in which we see ourselves in the primary role of consumers, is intrinsically unsustainable – because consumption, our defining habit, is driving the destruction of the very life support systems upon which our lives depend. In fact, studies have found that humans will need TWO earths to support our lifestyles by 2030 due to the rapid depletion of our world’s resources. With current levels of economic activity pushing the earth’s systems to a tipping point, we need to drastically question, and radically rethink, our most fundamental assumptions.
Importantly, The Invisible Doctrine provides a vital and refreshing counter-narrative to neoliberal thought. Drawing upon recent studies that refute the pervasive notion that we are self-serving individuals by design – and, rather, the species most adept and attuned to cooperation, mutual aid and altruism – Monbiot calls for a “rewinding of politics”. Through participatory practices that increase democratic engagement in community and regional politics, a new “politics of belonging” can emerge – a remedy for the vicious spiral of alienation and loneliness we find ourselves mired within.
It’s been said that, “It's easier to imagine the end of the world, than to imagine the end of capitalism.” The time to re-imagine a better world, however – and re-evaluate our roles as citizen/consumers – is long overdue.
FULL SYNOPSIS
The Invisible Doctrine explores the secret history of neoliberalism – from its development in the late ‘30s by a pair of obscure Austrian political philosophers in exile, to its clandestine propagation by a wealthy elite, to the covert history of think tanks and dark money, to the rise of its influence in the US & UK administrations of the 70s and 80s, to the ideology that has come to control our lives today – the only thing “liberal” about neoliberalism is its single-minded dedication to allowing corporations to operate as freely and unrestricted as possible, damn the consequences.
Monbiot lays out an irrefutable case for the reality that neoliberal policies are fundamentally incompatible with the preservation of life on earth, as we know it. This world in which we see ourselves in the primary role of consumers, is intrinsically unsustainable – because consumption, our defining habit, is driving the destruction of the very life support systems upon which our lives depend. In fact, studies have found that humans will need TWO earths to support our lifestyles by 2030 due to the rapid depletion of our world’s resources. With current levels of economic activity pushing the earth’s systems to a tipping point, we need to drastically question, and radically rethink, our most fundamental assumptions.
Importantly, The Invisible Doctrine provides a vital and refreshing counter-narrative to neoliberal thought. Drawing upon recent studies that refute the pervasive notion that we are self-serving individuals by design – and, rather, the species most adept and attuned to cooperation, mutual aid and altruism – Monbiot calls for a “rewinding of politics”. Through participatory practices that increase democratic engagement in community and regional politics, a new “politics of belonging” can emerge – a remedy for the vicious spiral of alienation and loneliness we find ourselves mired within.
It’s been said that, “It's easier to imagine the end of the world, than to imagine the end of capitalism.” The time to re-imagine a better world, however – and re-evaluate our roles as citizen/consumers – is long overdue.
