Invisible Doctrine: The Secret Life of Neoliberalism

http://www.renaud-bray.com

http://www.renaud-bray.com

A sharp, fiercely argued takedown of neoliberalism that not only defines this slippery concept but connects it to the climate crisis, poverty, and fascism—and shows us how to fight back.Neoliberalism is the dominant ideology of our time. It shapes us in countless ways, yet most of us struggle to articulate what it is—or worse, see it as inevitable: the way things are and always will be. In Invisible Doctrine, journalist George Monbiot and filmmaker Peter Hutchison shatter that myth. They show how a fringe philosophy in the 1930s—championing competition as the defining feature of humankind—was hijacked decades later by a group of wealthy elites determined to guard their fortunes and power. Think tanks and myriad corporate interests aligned with politicians to promote the idea of people as consumers rather than citizens.One of the most pernicious effects has been to make our various crises—from climate disasters to economic crashes, from the degradation of public services to rampant child poverty—seem completely unrelated. In fact, they are all rooted in the “invisible doctrine,” with its utter subservience to the market. Monbiot and Hutchison connect the dots—and trace a direct line from neoliberalism to fascism, which preys on people’s hopelessness and desperation.Speaking out against the capitalist fairy tale and populist conspiracy theories, Monbiot and Hutchison lay the groundwork for a new politics, one based on truly participatory democracy and a collaborative conception of shared public property. It’s up to us to bring the invisible doctrine into the light—and, in doing so, to find an alternative worth fighting for.