Much pandemonium concerning the existence of neoliberalism derives from the fact that outsiders often confuse it with libertarianism or classical liberalism; and this, in turn, is at least partly due to the fact that many key neoliberal figures themselves often conflated one or another alternative position with their own. For instance, Friedrich Hayek notoriously pioneered the notion that his own ideas could be traced in a direct line back to classical liberals such as David Hume and Adam Smith. Combined with his statement concerning Mont Pèlerin, “I personally do not intend that any public manifesto should be issued,” we can begin to detect a concerted policy to blur the boundaries between factions, itself part of the larger move to impose détente.

Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis …, loc. 110