Prisoners of Reason
Game Theory and Neoliberal Political Economy

Is capitalism inherently predatory? Must there be winners and losers? Is public interest outdated and free-riding rational? Is consumer choice the same as self-determination? Must bargainers abandon the no-harm principle? Prisoners of Reason recalls that classical liberal capitalism exalted the no-harm principle. Although imperfect and exclusionary, modern liberalism recognized individual human dignity alongside individuals' responsibility to respect others. Neoliberalism, by contrast, views life as ceaseless struggle. Agents vie for scarce resources in antagonistic competition in which every individual seeks dominance. This political theory is codified in non-cooperative game theory; the neoliberal citizen and consumer is the strategic rational actor. Rational choice justifies ends irrespective of means. Money becomes the medium of all value. Solidarity and good will are invalidated. Relationships are conducted on a quid pro quo basis. However, agents can freely opt out of this cynical race to the bottom by embracing a more expansive range of coherent action.

Preliminaries: 1. Neoliberalism; 2. Prisoner's Dilemma; Part I. War: Introduction; 3. Assurance; 4. Deterrence; Part II. Government: Introduction; 5. Hobbesian anarchy; 6. Social contract; 7. Unanimity; 8. Consent; 9. Collective action; Part III. Evolution: Introduction; 10. Selfish gene; 11. Tit for tat; Conclusion; 12. Pax Americana.

S. M. Amadae is a research affiliate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has held positions as an assistant professor of political science at the Ohio State University and an associate professor of political science at the Central European University. Amadae's first book, Rationalizing Capitalist Democracy: The Cold War Origins of Rational Choice Liberalism (2003), was awarded the American Political Science Association's J. David Greenstone book award for History and Politics in 2004. This thought-provoking political theorist who works on the foundations of liberalism and the philosophy of political economy has also contributed articles to the Journal of Economic Methodology, History of European Ideas, Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science, Economics and Philosophy, the American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Ethics, and Idealistic Studies. Amadae graduated with a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and has held appointments at the University of Cambridge, the London School of Economics, the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, the New School, and Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.