The social philosophy of Adam Smith

Bibliographic Information

The social philosophy of Adam Smith

by J. Ralph Lindgren

(Archives internationales d'histoire des idées = International archives of the history of ideas, ser. minor, 8)

M. Nijhoff, 1973

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Note

Bibliography: p. [153]-158

Includes index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Adam Smith was one of the most important seminal social philosophers of modern times. Although his great masterpiece - the Wealth at Nations - is most frequently associated with the field of economics, it has exer cised a profound and abiding influence not only in that but in all areas of social theory and practice as well. In view of this it is not a little puzzling that after nearly two centuries there does not exist a single reliable account of the full range of his social philosophy. The "circumstances which have contributed to this void in the literature are easily identified. All who are at all familiar with Smith's life and writings recognize that he was a philosopher by profession and that all his writings were conceived and executed as works of philosophy. During his lifetime his work was viewed iIi that perspective. At about the time of his death in 1790, however, Smith's work was eclipsed in the field of philosophy by Hume and Reid in Great Britain and Kant on the conti nent. Thereafter the interpretation of his writings was taken up by those who were profoundly interested in only one aspect of his work, viz. , his political economy. In the process of explicating that feature of his thought the social philosophy upon which his political economy was based and of which it was but one application was at first ignored and then represented as rather simplistic.

Table of Contents

I. Inquiry.- II. Moral Judgment.- III. Psychology.- IV. Government.- V. Commerce.- VI. Commercial Policy.- VII. Religion.- Works Cited.

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Details

  • NCID
    BA05072024
  • ISBN
    • 9024715334
  • LCCN
    74154546
  • Country Code
    ne
  • Title Language Code
    eng
  • Text Language Code
    eng
  • Place of Publication
    The Hague
  • Pages/Volumes
    xv, 164 p.
  • Size
    24 cm
  • Classification
  • Subject Headings
  • Parent Bibliography ID
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