Neoliberalism and social policies: the naturalization of exclusion

This paper argues that social Darwinism, social Malthusianism and neoliberalism constitute a series of typical social movements and moments in the history of liberal thinking and capitalism, which exhibit a whole set of common characteristics. They all have emerged in periods of crisis in capitalism and are therefore characterized by pessimism; react against the interference of the state; are also typically reactionary movements; are fundamentalist and finally try to legitimize social exclusion through the naturalization of the social realm.