On Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" : A Philosophical Companion.
Title:
On Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" : A Philosophical Companion.
Author:
Fleischacker, Samuel.
ISBN:
9781400826056
Personal Author:
Physical Description:
1 online resource (338 pages)
Contents:
Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- PART I: Methodology -- CHAPTER ONE: Literary Method -- 1. Obstacles to Reading Smith -- 2. Rhetoric -- 3. Genre -- 4. Style and Philosophical Method -- CHAPTER TWO: Epistemology and Philosophy of Science -- 5. Epistemology -- 6. Philosophy of Science -- 7. Philosophy of Social Science -- 8. Types of Evidence -- 9. Providentialism -- CHAPTER THREE: Moral Philosophy -- 10. Moral Sentimentalism -- 11. The Wealth of Nations and Moral Philosophy -- 12. A Moral Assessment of Capitalism? -- PART II: Human Nature -- CHAPTER FOUR: Overview -- 13. Philosophy and the Theory of Human Nature -- 14. Smith's Picture of Human Nature -- 15. Religious Sentiments -- 16. Impartiality and Equality -- 17. Culture and History -- 18. From Homo Moralis to Homo Economicus -- CHAPTER FIVE: Self-Interest -- 19. WN in Context -- 20. "Bettering One's Condition" in WN II.iii -- 21. Self-love in WN I.ii -- 22. Self-interest versus "General Benevolence" -- 23. Self-interest as an Assumption in WN -- 24. Smith and Hobbes: A Response to Cropsey -- CHAPTER SIX: Vanity -- 25. Vanity in TMS IV.i -- 26. TMS IV.i in the Light of WN -- 27. TMS IV.I and the 1790 Edition of TMS -- 28. The Importance of Vanity -- 29. From Homo Moralis to Homo Economicus (Reprise) -- PART III: Foundations of Economics -- CHAPTER SEVEN: Foundations of Economics -- 30. Natural Price/Market Price -- 31. Real Price/Nominal Price -- Labor Theory of Value -- 32. The Long Term versus the Short -- Growth versus Allocation -- Definition of Wealth -- 33. Productive and Unproductive Labor -- 34. The Invisible Hand -- PART IV: Justice -- CHAPTER EIGHT: A Theory of Justice? -- 35. Some Puzzles about Smith's Treatment of Justice -- 36. Smith's Different Accounts of Justice -- 37. A First Argument for the Precision of Rules of Justice.
38. Critical Jurisprudence and the Problems in Defining "Harm" -- 39. A Second Argument for the Precision of Rules of Justice -- 40. Reconstructing Smith's Theory of Natural Justice -- 41. Smith's Critical Jurisprudence in LJ and WN -- CHAPTER NINE: Property Rights -- 42. Property as Central to Justice -- 43. Utilitarian Accounts of Property -- 44. Locke, Hutcheson, and Hume on "Original" Ownership -- 45. Smith on "Original" Ownership -- 46. Property in WN -- 47. Taxation and Property Rights -- 48. Inheritance and Property Rights -- 49. Redistribution and Property Rights -- CHAPTER TEN: Distributive Justice -- 50. Two Meanings for "Distributive Justice" -- 51. Smith's Contribution to the Politics of Poverty -- 52. A Brief History of Distributive Justice -- 53. The Right of Necessity -- 54. Smith and Natural Law Views of Property -- PART V: Politics -- CHAPTER ELEVEN: Politics -- 55. Moral Vices of Politicians -- 56. Cognitive Vices of Politicians -- 57. Problems with the "Private Sector" -- 58. Law over Policy -- Well-designed Institutions -- 59. Republics versus Monarchies -- Civic Republicanism -- 60. National Glory -- War -- 61. Conclusion -- Epilogue -- CHAPTER TWELVE: Learning from Smith Today -- Notes -- Index Locorum -- General Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- X -- Y.
Abstract:
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.
Local Note:
Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2017. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.
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