Invisible Doctrine

The Secret History of Neoliberalism

By: George Monbiot, Peter Hutchison

Narrated by: George Monbiot

#1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER • A “fantastic” (Mark Ruffalo), fiercely argued takedown of neoliberalism that not only defines this slippery concept but connects it to the climate crisis, poverty, and fascism—and shows us how to fight back.

“Incisive, illuminating, eye-opening—an unsparing anatomy of the great ideological beast stalking our times, often whispered about and yet never so clearly in view.”—David Wallace-Wells, author of The Uninhabitable Earth

Neoliberalism is the dominant ideology of our time. It shapes us in countless ways, yet most of us struggle to articulate what it is. Worse, we have been persuaded to accept this extreme creed as a kind of natural law. In Invisible Doctrine, journalist George Monbiot and filmmaker Peter Hutchison shatter this myth. They show how a fringe philosophy in the 1930s—championing competition as the defining feature of humankind—was systematically hijacked by a group of wealthy elites, determined to guard their fortunes and power. Think tanks, corporations, the media, university departments and politicians were all deployed to promote the idea that people are consumers, rather than citizens.

One of the most pernicious effects has been to make our various crises—from climate disasters to economic crashes, from the degradation of public services to rampant child poverty—seem unrelated. In fact, they have all been exacerbated by the “invisible doctrine,” which subordinates democracy to the power of money. Monbiot and Hutchison connect the dots—and trace a direct line from neoliberalism to fascism, which preys on people’s hopelessness and desperation.

Speaking out against the fairy tale of capitalism and populist conspiracy theories, Monbiot and Hutchison lay the groundwork for a new politics, one based on truly participatory democracy and “private sufficiency, public luxury”: an inspiring vision that could help bring the neoliberal era to an end.

©2024 George Monbiot and Peter Hutchison (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Embraced by Democrats and Republicans, Conservatives and Labour, neoliberalism is simultaneously all-encompassing and seldom, if ever, explicitly named. Guardian columnist George Monbiot and filmmaker Peter Hutchison have set out to lift the veil on this ‘invisible doctrine.’ The result is a passionate, informed polemic that is short but packed with detail and incisive analysis.”—The Guardian

“Incisive, illuminating, eye-opening—an unsparing anatomy of the great ideological beast stalking our times, often whispered about and yet never so clearly in view.”—David Wallace-Wells, author of The Uninhabitable Earth

“If you want to know how neoliberals spread the dangerous lie that their ideas were new, liberal, and commonsensical, Invisible Doctrine is everything you need. Monbiot and Hutchison have written the definitive short history of the neoliberal confidence trick.”—Yanis Varoufakis, former finance minister of Greece and author of Adults in the Room

A reasonable plan

well thought out and well presented, a call for participation that deserves a chance.thank you.

Fantastic🙏

This is a really important story that connects the hidden dots that show us how we have gotten into such a mess. The reading by George Monbiot, really brings it all to life.

Make It Visible

The entire book is a recipe and relief from the challenges of Forever by revealing paths of cooperation and relief

Research

This should be a “must read” for those of us who are looking for a way to reshape our political and economic systems for a more equitable and sustainable future.

Informative and clear descriptions of sociopolitical problems facing modern societies

Would have liked more real world examples of political and economic changes that have shown promise

Eye opening, persuasive and a must listen

Monbiot is an excellent writer and speaker, so what better than him narrating his own book? Really helped me to make sense of politics today, and opened my eyes to how I myself fell for the neoliberal lies earlier in life. I listened to it on the recommendation of a friend, and I’m recommending it now to others.

Important topic, well written.

Terrific story. Very well written and narrated. The audio engineering is not top shelf. Lots of popping P's that were a slight annoyance, suggesting the studio/audio engineering was not optimal. But I really like George Monbiot. Great book. A must read.

Neoliberalism Not So Invisible Anymore

Invisible Doctrine is one of the clearest narratives I’ve read about the enigmatic story of how Neoliberalism emerged and shaped our culture and politics in order to benefit the few, that is, mainly the wealthiest in our society. Proponents of Neoliberalism concocted a language designed to pull the wool over our eyes by convincing us that we are the real beneficiaries of this ideology when in fact the opposite is true. Every student entering college should be required to read this book as an example of how a good narrative is written.

Eye-opening book

I loved the book. It’s deep yet conveyed with simplicity. And it might be an uncomfortable read for many, but inevitably eye-opening