PRIVATE CAPITALIST FUNDAMENTALISM, ECONOMIC LIBERALISM AND ECONOMIC SCIENCE

The neoliberalism, as the new variant of economic liberalism, in the last three deca-des was imposed as the dominant economico-political doctrine of the social development, conceived primarily from the standpoint of interests and freedom of action of the privately owned capital, presented as a universal project of economic organization of the world. It is advocating privatization and deregulation of economic activities, free circulation of inter-national economic flows and systematic limitation of the state functions in the economic field. The dissolution of communism, as an possible alternative social system and a need of returning of several countries with state management of the economy to the market system, gave to the liberal movement a new large sway. The evolution of such stances was accompanied and itself supported similar development of economic science, its
prevailing stream joining efforts, offering a theoretical rationalization of the liberal doctrine and practice.The ideological alliance of liberalism and economic science, however, could not have passed without serious harm to the economic science. It was forced to adopt liberal ideologico-political postulates as obligatory for the economic science in general, thus li-miting it to one historically specific social system and practice of economic organization, by qualifying all other social systems as delusions. In this way, the room for critical
considerations of contemporary real problems of the world developments has been narrowed, and the economic science has been deprived of a large part of its intelectual heritage, which was developed and proved as its legitimate and useful scientific achievements. Many streams of economic science, scientific status of which never was convincingly challenged, were cut off from the «standard» stream and pushed on the margin of economic
thought, education and practical application. The ideological dogmatism so has become the «standard» model of economic thinking.To make the paradox greater, the liberal conception of the economy in the history of economic thought is not new. This conception, developed at the end of 18th century, on the basis of Adam Smith’s teachings, in a large extent was determined by particular personal and age-dependent circumstances, and in many respects disputed from the very begining, for its internal logical inconsistencies and for its failure to give satisfactory responses to the great economic disruptions and social confl icts of the age. Several alternative theoretical developments sprang from the rejection of the liberal doctrine and offering more adequate and more convincing approaches and principles.
After having presented historical origins and development of the liberal doctrine, as well as limits of its application to the conditions of the present times, the author is pleading for the reafi rmation of freeddom and diversity of economic enqueries in a large historical and social context, without ideological prejudices. To the economic science, facing today no less pressing demands, this would reestablish vitality and scientific standing for solving complex social problems and diminish dissatisfaction of many eminent economists vith its present role.