In the meantime, Polanyi’s own refutation of planning evolved from a defence of pure science towards an epistemological defence of liberalism based on the position of thought in society. … Like his rivals from the left, he dismissed the neutralist position as naive in the face of the “absolute state,” citing the detachment of the scientist as a main cause for concern. … As long as it remained free from state interference, science stood as the perfect example of liberalism in action, demonstrating how individual liberty may be seamlessly reconciled with authority, tradition, and social control.

Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, loc. 81