Adam Smith's Pluralism: Rationality, Education, and the Moral Sentiments
Jack Russell Weinstein
Abstract
This book suggests that the foundations of liberalism can be found in the writings of Adam Smith (1723–1790), a pioneer of modern economic theory and a major figure in the Scottish Enlightenment. While offering an interpretive methodology for approaching Smith's two major works, The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations, the book argues against the libertarian interpretation of Smith, emphasizing his philosophies of education and rationality. The book also demonstrates that Smith should be recognized for a prescient theory of pluralism that prefigures current theories of cultura ... More
This book suggests that the foundations of liberalism can be found in the writings of Adam Smith (1723–1790), a pioneer of modern economic theory and a major figure in the Scottish Enlightenment. While offering an interpretive methodology for approaching Smith's two major works, The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations, the book argues against the libertarian interpretation of Smith, emphasizing his philosophies of education and rationality. The book also demonstrates that Smith should be recognized for a prescient theory of pluralism that prefigures current theories of cultural diversity.
Keywords:
Adam Smith,
Scottish Enlightenment,
economic theory,
education,
rationality,
pluralism,
cultural diversity
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2013 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780300162530 |
| Published to Yale Scholarship Online: January 2014 |
DOI:10.12987/yale/9780300162530.001.0001 |
