Our Great Purpose : Adam Smith on Living a Better Life / Ryan Patrick Hanley.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hanley, Ryan Patrick, Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Smith, Adam, 1723-1790.

Smith, Adam.

Conduct of life.

Life.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (169 pages)

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2019]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Invaluable wisdom on living a good life from the founder of capitalismAdam Smith is best known today as the founder of modern economics, but he was also an uncommonly brilliant philosopher who was especially interested in the perennial question of how to live a good life. Our Great Purpose is a short and illuminating guide to Smith's incomparable wisdom on how to live well, written by one of today's leading Smith scholars.In this inspiring and entertaining book, Ryan Patrick Hanley describes Smith's vision of "the excellent and praiseworthy character," and draws on the philosopher's writings to show how each of us can go about developing one. For Smith, an excellent character is distinguished by qualities such as prudence, self-command, justice, and benevolence-virtues that have been extolled since antiquity. Yet Smith wrote not for the ancient polis but for the world of market society-our world-which rewards self-interest more than virtue. Hanley shows how Smith set forth a vision of the worthy life that is uniquely suited to us today.Full of invaluable insights on topics ranging from happiness and moderation to love and friendship, Our Great Purpose enables modern readers to see the founder of capitalism in an entirely new light-and along the way, learn what it truly means to live a good life.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Introduction

I. On Self-Interest

II. On Caring for Others

III. On Acting for Others

IV. On Imagination

V. On Bettering Our Condition

VI. On Miseries and Disorders

VII. On the Healthy Mind

VIII. On Tranquility and Pleasure

IX. On Worshipping Wealth

X. On Friendship

XI. On Pleasure

XII. On Hatred and Anger

XIII. On Being Loved

XIV. On Loving

XV. On Flourishing

XVI. On Being Lovely

XVII. On Seeing Ourselves

XVIII. On Dignity

XIX. On Equality

XX. On Choice

XXI. On Self and Others

XXII. On Perfection

XXIII. On Wisdom and Virtue

XXIV. On Humility and Beneficence

XXV. On Praise and Praiseworthiness

XXVI. On Socrates

XXVII. On Jesus

XXVIII. On Hume

XXIX. On God

Epilogue. Why Smith Now?

Table of Quotations

Texts and Further Reading

Notes

Acknowledgments

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 06. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

0-691-19775-X

OCLC:

1107989560