On Adam Smith's Wealth of nations [electronic resource] : a philosophical companion / Samuel Fleischacker.

ISBN:

9781400826056

Title:

Author:

Fleischacker, Samuel, author.

Personal Author:

Fleischacker, Samuel, author.

Publication Information:

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvii, 329 pages)

Contents:

pt. 1. Methodology -- pt. 2. Human nature -- pt. 3. Foundations of economics -- pt. 4. Justice -- pt. 5. Politics.

Local Note:

eBooks on EBSCOhost

Personal Subject:

Smith, Adam, 1723-1790. Inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations.

Title Subject:

Inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations (Smith, Adam) (OCoLC)fst01356351

Subject Term:

Economics -- Philosophy.

Ethics.

Format:

Electronic Resources

Electronic Access:

Click here to view

Publication Date:

2004

Publication Information:

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
330.153 22	1:E-BOOK	1	1:ONLINE	Searching... Unknown

Adam Smith was a philosopher before he ever wrote about economics, yet until now there has never been a philosophical commentary on the Wealth of Nations . Samuel Fleischacker suggests that Smith's vastly influential treatise on economics can be better understood if placed in the light of his epistemology, philosophy of science, and moral theory. He lays out the relevance of these aspects of Smith's thought to specific themes in the Wealth of Nations , arguing, among other things, that Smith regards social science as an extension of common sense rather than as a discipline to be approached mathematically, that he has moral as well as pragmatic reasons for approving of capitalism, and that he has an unusually strong belief in human equality that leads him to anticipate, if not quite endorse, the modern doctrine of distributive justice.

Fleischacker also places Smith's views in relation to the work of his contemporaries, especially his teacher Francis Hutcheson and friend David Hume, and draws out consequences of Smith's thought for present-day political and philosophical debates. The Companion is divided into five general sections, which can be read independently of one another. It contains an index that points to commentary on specific passages in Wealth of Nations . Written in an approachable style befitting Smith's own clear yet finely honed rhetoric, it is intended for professional philosophers and political economists as well as those coming to Smith for the first time.

Author Notes

Samuel Fleischacker is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Illinois, Chicago. His books include A Short History of Distributive

Reviews (1)

Choice Review

Fleischacker (philosophy, Univ. of Illinois, Chicago) skillfully shows how Smith, using a commonsense philosophical approach and an abiding belief in moral reflection, makes the social construction of the self and individual free action compatible within a system where distributive justice matters. The author explores Smith's methodology and his views on human nature, foundations of economics, justice, and politics. Detailed attention is given to the intellectual history of each topic and to the influence Smith's trusted contemporaries, Francis Hutcheson and David Hume, had on his work. Each section of the book can stand alone as a philosophical reference to The Wealth of Nations, but serious readers will want to digest it all before rereading Wealth. Fleischacker closes with a menu of policies Smith might advocate today, showing that his work crosses a wide range of the political policy spectrum. The book is neither polemic nor strident, but many readers may wonder how they could have read Smith so superficially in the past. While some issues are discussed and admittedly left unresolved, no other book so thoroughly integrates Smith's work. Anyone interested in Adam Smith should read this well-written, extensively documented work. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through faculty collections. J. Halteman Wheaton College

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Abbreviations	p. xiii
Introduction	p. xv
Part I Methodology
Chapter 1 Literary Method	p. 3
1 Obstacles to Reading Smith	p. 4
2 Rhetoric	p. 12
3 Genre	p. 15
4 Style and Philosophical Method	p. 19
Chapter 2 Epistemology and Philosophy of Science	p. 27
5 Epistemology	p. 27
6 Philosophy of Science	p. 31
7 Philosophy of Social Science	p. 34
8 Types of Evidence	p. 36
9 Providentialism	p. 44
Chapter 3 Moral Philosophy	p. 46
10 Moral Sentimentalism	p. 46
11 The Wealth of Nations and Moral Philosophy	p. 48
12 A Moral Assessment of Capitalism?	p. 55
Part II Human Nature
Chapter 4 Overview	p. 61
13 Philosophy and the Theory of Human Nature	p. 61
14 Smith's Picture of Human Nature	p. 66
15 Religious Sentiments	p. 70
16 Impartiality and Equality	p. 72
17 Culture and History	p. 80
18 From Homo Moralis to Homo Economicus	p. 82
Chapter 5 Self-Interest	p. 84
19 WN in Context	p. 84
20 "Bettering One's Condition" in WN II.	p. 87
21 Self-love in WN I.ii	p. 90
22 Self-interest versus "General Benevolence"	p. 95
23 Self-interest as an Assumption in WN	p. 97
24 Smith and Hobbes: A Response to Cropsey	p. 100
Chapter 6 Vanity	p. 104
25 Vanity in TMS IV.i	p. 105
26 TMS IV.I in the Light of WN	p. 108
27 TMS IV.I and the 1790 Edition of TMS	p. 112
28 The Importance of Vanity	p. 115
29 From Homo Moralis to Homo Economicus (Reprise)	p. 118
Part III Foundations of Economics
Chapter 7 Foundations of Economics	p. 123
30 Natural Price/Market Price	p. 123
31 Real Price/Nominal Price; Labor Theory of Value	p. 124
32 The Long Term versus the Short; Growth versus Allocation; Definition of Wealth	p. 131
33 Productive and Unproductive Labor	p. 134
34 The Invisible Hand	p. 138
Part IV Justice
Chapter 8 A Theory of Justice?	p. 145
35 Some Puzzles about Smith's Treatment of Justice	p. 145
36 Smith's Different Accounts of Justice	p. 148
37 A First Argument for the Precision of Rules of Justice	p. 153
38 Critical Jurisprudence and the Problems in Defining "Harm"	p. 158
39 A Second Argument for the Precision of Rules of Justice	p. 161
40 Reconstructing Smith's Theory of Natural Justice	p. 166
41 Smith's Critical Jurisprudence in LJ and WN	p. 169
Chapter 9 Property Rights	p. 174
42 Property as Central to Justice	p. 174
43 Utilitarian Accounts of Property	p. 178
44 Locke, Hutcheson, and Hume on "Original" Ownership	p. 180
45 Smith on "Original" Ownership	p. 185
46 Property in WN	p. 192
47 Taxation and Property Rights	p. 193
48 Inheritance and Property Rights	p. 197
49 Redistribution and Property Rights	p. 200
Chapter 10 Distributive Justice	p. 203
50 Two Meanings for "Distributive Justice"	p. 203
51 Smith's Contribution to the Politics of Poverty	p. 205
52 A Brief History of Distributive Justice	p. 209
53 The Right of Necessity	p. 215
54 Smith and Natural Law Views of Property	p. 221
Part V Politics
Chapter 11 Politics	p. 229
55 Moral Vices of Politicians	p. 229
56 Cognitive Vices of Politicians	p. 233
57 Problems with the "Private Sector"	p. 236
58 Law over Policy; Well-designed Institutions	p. 242
59 Republics versus Monarchies; Civic Republicanism	p. 246
60 National Glory; War	p. 250
61 Conclusion	p. 257
Epilogue
Chapter 12 Learning from Smith Today	p. 261
Notes	p. 283
Index Locorum	p. 313
General Index	p. 321

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (1)

Choice Review

Table of Contents