‘In it for Myself’: Liberal Morality in Neoliberal Times.

Drawing on Wendy Brown’s account of neoliberalism as a political rationality, in this paper I argue that moral philosophy plays a crucial role in perpetuating precarity. According to Brown’s argument neoliberalism extends market values to all social actions, undermining the differentiation of moral and economic spheres previously found under liberal democracy. While Brown notes the shared ontological status of markets and morality aimed at individual freedom, neoliberalism is argued to radically subordinate the moral foundations of classical liberalism to economic rationality while championing market logics as the ultimate arbiter of value, shifting responsibility to individuals. I explore this argument through Adorno's critique of bourgeois coldness. With Adorno I argue that the normalisation of self-interest as a moral imperative leads to indifference towards the suffering of others. I contend that neoliberalism’s emphasis on flexibility and self-interest and moral philosophy’s disavowal of compassion fosters a culture of competition and insecurity in contemporary society. This contributes to a pervasive sense of coldness towards others, reinforcing indifference and underpinning precarity. However, in contrast to Brown, I argue that neoliberalism does not mark a rupture with a previous liberal order but is an extension of liberal morality that fosters a violent culture of self- interest.