Adam Smith, radical and egalitarian : an interpretation for the twenty-first century / Iain McLean.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McLean, Iain.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Smith, Adam, 1723-1790--Influence.

Smith, Adam.

Smith, Adam, 1723-1790. Inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations.

Smith, Adam, 1723-1790. Theory of moral sentiments.

Smith, Adam, 1723-1790.

Economics--Philosophy.

Economics.

Enlightenment--Scotland.

Enlightenment.

Scotland.

Physical Description:

xx, 172 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.

Summary:

In this reexamination of the political legacy of Adam Smith, McLean argues that Smith was a radical egalitarian and that his work supported the ideas behind the French Revolution and his "Theory of Moral Sentiments" crystallized the radically egalitarian philosophy of the Scottish Enlightenment. Bringing Smith into full view, showing how much of modern economics and political science was influenced by the Scottish thinker, and locating his intellectual heritage firmly within the context of the Enlightenment, McLean addresses the international links between American, French, and Scottish histories of political thought.

Contents:

Preface: A Scotsman Looks at the World xii

1 The Life of an Absent-minded Professor 1

2 A Weak State and a Weak Church 27

3 A Non-religious Grounding of Morals: Smith and the Scottish Enlightenment 46

4 Merriment and Diversion: Smith on Public Finance and Public Choice 60

5 The Invisible Hand and the Helping Hand 82

6 The French and American Smiths 100

7 Adam Smith Today 120.

Notes:

Originally published: Edinburgh : Edinburgy University Press, 2006.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [158]-165) and index.

ISBN:

9781403977915

1403977917

OCLC:

124075899