Adam Smith (critical Lives)
by Jonathan Conlin /
2016 / English / EPUB
5.5 MB Download
Universally acknowledged as the father of capitalism, the
eighteenth-century Scottish thinker Adam Smith is best known for
his “invisible hand” theory. This theory argued in favor of
setting individuals free to pursue their self-interests for the
good of all and has helped to make Smith's name synonymous with
unfettered free market capitalism. In this book, Jonathan Conlin
rescues Smith from the straight-jacket of economics, reattaching
the “invisible hand” to Smith’s philosophy of ethics.
Universally acknowledged as the father of capitalism, the
eighteenth-century Scottish thinker Adam Smith is best known for
his “invisible hand” theory. This theory argued in favor of
setting individuals free to pursue their self-interests for the
good of all and has helped to make Smith's name synonymous with
unfettered free market capitalism. In this book, Jonathan Conlin
rescues Smith from the straight-jacket of economics, reattaching
the “invisible hand” to Smith’s philosophy of ethics.
As Conlin shows, Smith rooted our instincts to trade in human
psychology. Analyzing the contrasts he saw between the
industrializing Scottish lowlands and the clan-based pastoralism
of the Scottish highlands—as well as the contrasts between the
ideas of contemporary thinkers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and
David Hume—Smith advanced a system of ethics founded on sympathy.
Weaving together Smith’s life and ideas, Conlin shows how the
latter anticipated much more recent developments surrounding
behavioral economics, virtue ethics, and social inequality.
Ultimately, Conlin argues, Adam Smith offers us a set of tools to
face today's challenges and become better and happier human
beings.
As Conlin shows, Smith rooted our instincts to trade in human
psychology. Analyzing the contrasts he saw between the
industrializing Scottish lowlands and the clan-based pastoralism
of the Scottish highlands—as well as the contrasts between the
ideas of contemporary thinkers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and
David Hume—Smith advanced a system of ethics founded on sympathy.
Weaving together Smith’s life and ideas, Conlin shows how the
latter anticipated much more recent developments surrounding
behavioral economics, virtue ethics, and social inequality.
Ultimately, Conlin argues, Adam Smith offers us a set of tools to
face today's challenges and become better and happier human
beings.