Neoliberalism's Demons

Adam Kotsko (Shimer College)

On Tuesday 2 August the Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry at the ACU will host a presentation by Adam Kotsko (Shimer College) titled "Neoliberalism's Demons."

"The devil is one of the most enduring Christian theological symbols, a figure that has taken on a life of its own in the culture of secular modernity. In this talk, Adam Kotsko traces the origin of the devil back to his theological roots in the problem of evil. One of the greatest challenges to traditional monotheism has always been the existence of suffering and injustice - if God is all-good and all-powerful, why does he allow it? The devil emerged as a convenient scapegoat, a fallen angel who was created good by God and yet freely chose to rebel. This placed the devil at the root of a theological system that used the idea of free will as a way of deflecting blame away from God and toward his wayward creatures. Kotsko will argue that the neoliberal order implies the same logic - deploying notions of free choice as a way of blaming individuals for systemic failures."

The seminar will be held on Tuesday 2 August at 3:00pm in room 4.28, 250 Victoria Parade, in Melbourne. Contact [email protected] with any questions.