Adam Smith
Adam Smith
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 favour of setting individuals free to pursue their self-interests for the good of all, and has helped to make Adam Smith's name synonymous with unfettered free market capitalism and a belief that “greed is good”. In this book, Jonathan Conlin rescues Smith from the straight-jacket of economics, reattaching the "invisible hand" to Smith's ethical philosophy.
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 development 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
1780235682
Conlin, Jonathan
3ab58a7d-d74b-48d9-99db-1ba2f3aada40
15 February 2016
Conlin, Jonathan
3ab58a7d-d74b-48d9-99db-1ba2f3aada40
Conlin, Jonathan
(2016)
Adam Smith
(Critical Lives),
London, GB.
Reaktion, 224pp.
Abstract
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 favour of setting individuals free to pursue their self-interests for the good of all, and has helped to make Adam Smith's name synonymous with unfettered free market capitalism and a belief that “greed is good”. In this book, Jonathan Conlin rescues Smith from the straight-jacket of economics, reattaching the "invisible hand" to Smith's ethical philosophy.
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 development 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
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Published date: 15 February 2016
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Local EPrints ID: 381761
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/381761
ISBN: 1780235682
PURE UUID: 44becc95-8b30-4e86-82ee-eb53066e4935
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Date deposited: 23 Oct 2015 08:42
Last modified: 09 Jan 2022 03:23
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