Western Philosophy

A Critical Exploration into the Nature of Neoliberalism

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Postdoctoral researcher in Sociology, Faculty of Humanities, Ayatollah Boroujerdi University, Boroujerd, Iran.

10.30479/wp.2025.21375.1138

Abstract

The purpose of writing this article is to conduct a theoretical and critical study of the philosophy of neoliberalism. Neoliberalism is a political and economic philosophy that has significantly affected various aspects of human life since the 1980s. The method of this research is documentary and, based on various texts, it examines the nature of neoliberalism and the criticisms it has received. Accordingly, in this article, the historical roots of neoliberalism are first examined based on the opinions of thinkers such as Friedrich von Hayek, Friedrich von Mises, and Milton Friedman, and then the basic characteristics of the neoliberal order are examined, which include: emphasis on the free market, technology, non-intervention of the state or state intervention in favor of the market, individual freedoms and individualism, competitiveness, privatization and profiteering, and political governance. The results of this research showed that neoliberalism, based on the logic of the market, has transformed social and moral values, developed a form of economic rationality that has imposed economic calculation on the subject in every field, removed the burden of responsibility from the structure, meaning the government, and placed it on the individual, imposed psychological afflictions such as depression and despair, which are caused by economic individualism and competition, on the subject, and ultimately spread consumerism and quantity to all areas of life.

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Main Subjects

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Western Philosophy
Volume 4, Issue 3 - Serial Number 15
December 2025
Pages 169-204