This collection of essays explores the literature of Adam Smith, not in his allotted role as the father of modern economics, but focussing on his work as a moral philosopher. Smith's philosophy is a less than straight-forward concept. His "Theory of Moral Sentiments" suggests that sympathy was natural to man, while his "Wealth of Nations" worked out a grand socio-economic theory on the assumption that human nature essentially was self-interested. This seems contradictory, and the essays presented here explore how, like his contemporaries, Smith had a much broader idea of philosophy, and these two works represented part of a much larger whole. The book provides a background to the essays, outlining a few major themes from Smith's literature, the essays reflecting more the current state of Smith scholarship than a historical collection.
- ISBN10 6610429243
- ISBN13 9786610429240
- Publish Date 1 October 2002 (first published 10 March 1998)
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 29 December 2011
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Cambridge University Press
- Format eBook
- Pages 447
- Language English