Initially, liberalism, especially in some economic versions, seemed anti-utopian because it precluded any perfect and ultimate form of economic order. Free-market economy was even called “the dismal science” to emphasize the gloomy aspect of its consequences. But there were also highly optimistic versions according to which the free market was a miraculous instrument to eliminate war and bring about the global brotherhood of humanity in a future era of commerce. Commerce, it will be recalled, was seen as the trademark of the new civilization of peace, wealth, and stability.
