Inventing the market : Smith, Hegel, and political theory / Lisa Herzog.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Herzog, Lisa, 1983-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Smith, Adam, 1723-1790.

Smith, Adam.

Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, 1770-1831.

Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich.

Markets--Philosophy.

Markets.

Political science--Philosophy.

Political science.

Philosophy.

Physical Description:

x, 184 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2013.

Summary:

Inventing the Market: Smith, Hegel, and Political Theory analyses the constructions of the market in the thought of Adam Smith and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and discusses their relevance for contemporary political philosophy. Combining the history of ideas with systematic analysis, it contrasts Smith's view of the market as a benevolently designed 'contrivance of nature' with Hegel's view of the market as a 'relic of the state of nature.' The differences in their views of the market are connected to four central themes of political philosophy: identity, justice, freedom, and history. The conceptualization of the labour market as an exchange of human capital or as a locus for the development of a professional identity has an impact on how one conceptualizes the relation between individual and community. Comparing Smith's and Hegel's views of the market also helps to understand how social justice can be realized through or against markets, and under what conditions it makes sense to apply a notion of desert to labour market outcomes. For both authors, markets are not only spaces of negative liberty, but are connected to other aspects of liberty, such as individual autonomy and political self-government, in subtle and complex ways. Seeing Smith's and Hegel's account of the market as historical accounts, however, reminds us that markets are not a timeless phenomena, but depend on cultural and social preconditions and on the theories that are used to describe them. The book as a whole argues for becoming more conscious of the pictures of the market that have shaped our understanding, which can open up the possibility of alternative pictures and alternative realities. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Introduction: In Search of 'The Market' 1

1.1 Introduction 1

1.2 A Post-Skinnerian Approach 11

1.3 Structure of the Study 14

2 Smith's Construction of the Market: Nature's Wise Contrivances 17

2.1 Introduction: Smith against the Clichés 17

2.2 Smith's Contexts 18

2.3 Smith's System 20

2.4 Smith's Notion of Nature 24

2.5 Smith's Account of the Market Society 28

2.6 Conclusion: The Vision of General Opulence 37

3 Hegel's Construction of the Market: the 'Relics of the State of Nature' 41

3.1 Introduction: Hegel Then and Now 41

3.2 The Living and the Dead in Hegel 43

3.3 Geist and Sittlichkeit 46

3.4 Hegel's Account of the Market Society 51

3.5 Conclusion: The Modernity of the Market 59

4 The Self in the Market: Identity and Community 61

4.1 Introduction 61

4.2 The Social Self 62

4.3 Identity in the Market 68

4.3.1 Selling one's labour 68

4.3.2 Choosing one's place 73

4.4 Conclusion: Self and Society 79

5 Justice in the Market 84

5.1 Introduction 84

5.2 Are Market Outcomes Deserved? 85

5.3 What about the Poor? 101

5.4 Conclusion: How to Theorize Justice and the Market 111

6 Freedom, Freedoms, and the Market 119

6.1 Introduction 119

6.2 The Market and Autonomy 121

6.3 'Enriching' Economic Freedom 128

6.4 The Social Structures of Freedom 133

6.5 Conclusion: the Contexts of Freedom 143

7 The Market in History 147

7.1 Introduction 147

7.2 Two Ways of Describing History 148

7.3 Conclusion: Understanding the Market in Its Time 155

7.3.1 Economic history and general history 155

7.3.2 'A picture held us captive' 158.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [163]-181) and index.

ISBN:

9780199674176

0199674175

OCLC:

822959056