Adam Smith's Marketplace of Life

ISBN-13: 9780521016568 / Angielski / Miękka / 2002 / 354 str.

James R. Otteson

Opis

Adam Smith wrote two books, one about economics and the other about morality. How do these books go together? How do markets and morality mix? James Otteson provides a comprehensive examination and interpretation of Smith's moral theory and demonstrates how his conception of morality applies to his understanding of markets, language and other social institutions. Considering Smith's notions of natural sympathy, the impartial spectator, human nature and human conscience, the author addresses whether Smith thinks that moral judgments enjoy a transcendent sanction.

Recenzje

'… this is an important study with a distinctive contribution to debates about the 'Adam Smith problem'; it provides some stimulating arguments that deserve considered attention and will no doubt prompt further debate.' British Journal for the History of Philosophy

Spis treści

Introduction; 1. Adam Smith's moral theory, part one: sympathy and the impartial spectator procedure; 2. Smith's moral theory, part two: conscience and human nature; 3. The marketplace of morality; 4. The 'Adam Smith problem'; 5. The market model and the familiarity principle: solving the 'Adam Smith problem'; 6. Justifying smithian moral standards; 7. The unintended order of human social life: Language, marketplaces, and morality; Conclusion.