Self Interest, Rationality and the Neoliberal Illusion

digital

Article

Magazine

RIVISTA INTERNAZIONALE DI SCIENZE SOCIALI

Fascicle

RIVISTA INTERNAZIONALE DI SCIENZE SOCIALI - 2023 - 2

Title

Self Interest, Rationality and the Neoliberal Illusion

Author

Andrea Boitani

Publisher

Vita e Pensiero

Format

Article |

Pdf

Online from

07-2023

Doi

10.26350/000518_000116

Issn

0035-676X (print) | 1827-7918 (digital)

€ 6.00

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Description

The writing of this paper is occasioned by the very critical comments of Giacomo Costa (2022) regarding my book L’illusione liberista. However, the paper is not meant to be a general reply to Costa’s remarks. It rather represents an attempt to go deeper into issues that I regard as foundational for contemporary economics and politics alike: the invisible hand theorem and the transformation from a market economy to a market society; the unpleasantness of homo economicus; the (unnecessary) link between self-interest and rationality; the negative effects of the generational egoism that underlies the neoliberal approach on climate change; the contrast between homo economicus, homo cooperans and homo moralis; the difficult coexistence of markets and incentives with goods that should not have a price.