Final Causes in Adam Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments

Kleer, Richard A.

doi:10.1353/hph.1995.0028

Cited by 61 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Many of the other apparent conflicts in Smith's corpus have been analyzed and (in many cases) resolved in the outpouring of scholarly work on Smith in the past several decades. To take just a few examples, a multitude of scholars have focused on the seeming divergence between Smith's famous account of the benefits of the division of labor with regard to productivity in Book I of The Wealth of Nations and his equally famous castigation of the debilitating effects of the division of labor on people's characters in Book V (e.g., Rosenberg 1965Rosenberg , 1995West 1996), between his frequent invocations of God and other "teleological" statements and his apparent secularism and empiricism (e.g., Kleer 1995Kleer , 2000Minowitz 1993), and between his emphasis on self-interest in The Wealth of Nations and his emphasis on sympathy in The Theory of Moral Sentiments--the key issue in the notorious "Adam Smith Problem" (e.g., Montes 2004;Otteson 2002). The apparent conflict between Smith's view of happiness as tranquility and his defense of commercial society has, however, received far less attention.…”

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confidence: 99%

Does “Bettering Our Condition” Really Make Us Better Off? Adam Smith on Progress and Happiness

Rasmussen

2006

Am Polit Sci Rev

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Adam Smith is almost certainly history's most famous advocate of commercial society, but he frankly admits that the relentless pursuit of wealth is a major obstacle to tranquility and contentment and hence that, at first glance, the higher living standards that people “enjoy” in commercial society seem to come only at the cost of their happiness. I argue that the solution to this apparent paradox can be found in Smith's account of the positive political effects of commerce: dependence and insecurity are the chief obstacles to happiness and have been the hallmarks of most of human history, and so the alleviation of these ills in commercial society constitutes a great step forward. Money really cannot buy happiness, but the liberty and security that commercial societies tend to provide help to assuage the greatest sources of misery.

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confidence: 99%

Does “Bettering Our Condition” Really Make Us Better Off? Adam Smith on Progress and Happiness

Rasmussen

2006

Am Polit Sci Rev

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“…4 For the context of this process see Margaret Hunt (1993). 5 Kleer (1995); Clarke (2007). and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.…”

Section: Jonathan Pimentel Chacónmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economía de la carne: Una lectura de Theory of Moral Sentiments de Adam Smith

Chacón¹

2019

SIWO

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El artículo presenta una lectura del libro de Adam Smith (1723-1790) intitulado Teoría de los sentimientos morales en la que se enfatiza su carácter teológico. Al enfocarse en cómo representa Smith al “salvaje”, los procedimientos que sigue para pensar la encarnación y los vínculos que establece entre teoría económica y economía teológica, se introduce un modelo para leer el pensamiento político de Smith. Palabras clave: Adam Smith, economía teológica, teoría de los sentimientos morales, encarnación, teoría económica.

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“…As one economic historian summarizes, although at the time of its publication TMS “was deemed to turn upon the concept of a benevolent divine author of nature. … However, in recent decades, the tendency has been to argue that teleological arguments, while present in The Theory of Moral Sentiments , may be excised without impairing the cogency of his analysis” (Kleer , 275). In addition to the Umschwungstheorie , the conclusion that religion is relatively unimportant for an accurate reading of the Smith that matters is reached in a number of ways.…”

Section: Common Readings Of Smithmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adam Smith, Ethicist

McRorie¹

2015

Journal of Religious Ethics

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This essay argues that Adam Smith's political economy is premised upon a moral anthropology, and that greater attention to Smith from religious ethicists may both improve Smith scholarship and deepen dialogue on economic themes within the field of religious ethics. It does so first by surveying common readings of Smith and noting that engagement of his work within religious ethics and theology tends to rely on misconceptions prevalent in these readings. It then outlines the moral psychology that links Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments and Wealth of Nations and explains the importance of this moral psychology for Smith's ambivalent analysis of commercial society. Reflecting on the case of Smith's work, it concludes by arguing that attention from religious ethicists may also improve contemporary political economic debates, given that they are often premised upon latent assumptions about moral anthropology.

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Final Causes in Adam Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments

Cited by 61 publications

References 8 publications

Does “Bettering Our Condition” Really Make Us Better Off? Adam Smith on Progress and Happiness

Does “Bettering Our Condition” Really Make Us Better Off? Adam Smith on Progress and Happiness

Economía de la carne: Una lectura de Theory of Moral Sentiments de Adam Smith

Adam Smith, Ethicist

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