Adam Smith in His Time and Ours
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.10 (627 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0691001618 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 263 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-01-26 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Smith's analysis went beyond economics to embrace a larger "civilizing project" designed to create a more decent society.. Counter to the popular impression that Adam Smith was a champion of selfishness and greed, Jerry Muller shows that the Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations maintained that markets served to promote the well-being of the populace and that government must intervene to counteract the negative effects of the pursuit of self-interest
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. First placing Smith in intellectual and historical context, Muller then analyzes The Wealth of Nations and The Theory of Moral Sentiments , finding in them "a vision of commercial humanism." Though usually characterized as a free-marketer, Smith actually viewed government as crucial to regulating industry and providing infrastructure, states Muller, an associate professor of history at the Catholic University of America. After exploring Smith's comprehensive views of religion, social psychology and social science, Muller concludes by showing how Smith has been misread and wrongly criticized and suggests that Smith's concerns about character, virtue and
This is an excellent introduction to Adam Smith's ideas. Zvi Bodie I am sure that anyone interested in the history of ideas will enjoy reading this book for its clear exposition of Smith's ideas and their relevance to today's economic, social, and political issues. Muller has a scholar's mastery of Smith's writings as well as a broad knowledge of their intellectual antecedents. The style is jargon-free.. "a unique interpretation, with which every well-rounded conversant should be familiar" according to C. Kollars. This book describes Adam Smith as others who lived at the same time would have seen him (which is perforce a little different than we see him now, centuries later). For example, he was guided by and contributed to international philosophic disputes that appear antiquated or quaint or just plain ridiculous now, such as the discussions abo. Gary H. Goubeau said There is more to Adam Smith Than I Thought. Before reading this book I believed that I was aware of the essence of what Adam Smith offered, but I was wrong, and I suspect many others would learn from this book that there is a complexity to Adam Smith's philosophy of which most have not been informed.Smith has much to say about the role of government, and the negatives of market ca