Interpreting Adam Smith
Critical Essays

A fresh look at Adam Smith – and why he matters – from some of the leading scholars in the field.

Paul Sagar (Edited by)

9781009296304, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 1 May 2025

298 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm, 0.434 kg

'… thought-provoking and reflects the diversity of approaches in modern Smith scholarship, ranging from political theory and intellectual history to linguistic analysis and literature. This diversity of approaches is mirrored in the variety of themes discussed. … Interpreting Adam Smith will be of interest to historians of economic thought and of the long eighteenth century.' Zack Rauwald, Eighteenth-Century Scotland

2023 marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of Adam Smith. Long known as the 'father of economics', Smith also produced moral and political writings which have increasingly come to be recognised as major contributions to the Scottish, and indeed wider European, Enlightenment. In this collection of original essays, leading Smith scholars offer fresh perspectives on how to think about Smith's ideas, the nature and importance of his works, and their impact upon subsequent thinkers and ultimately the world we live in. Bringing together both leading experts and some of the most exciting new voices in the field, this collection seeks both to celebrate and deepen our appreciation of what Adam Smith has to teach us.

Introduction
1. Smith scholarship: past, present, and future Glory M. Liu
2. The wealth of nations as a work of social science Christopher J. Berry
3. Adam Smith's 'Industrial Organization' of religion Barry R. Weingast
4. Talking to my butcher: self-Interest, exchange, and freedom in the wealth of nations Samuel Fleischacker
5. What did Adam Smith mean? The semantics of the opening key principles in the wealth of nations Bart J. Wilson and Gian Marco Farese
6. Adam Smith and virtuous business James R. Otteson
7. Adam Smith and the morality of political economy: a public choice reading Maria Pia Paganelli
8. A moral philosophy for commercial society? Robin Douglass
9. Adam Smith, sufficientarian Paul Sagar
10. Narrowing the scope of resentment in Smith's theory of moral sentiments John T. Scott and Michelle Schwarze
11. Adam Smith: stoic and epicurean Lisa Hill
12. 'Much Better Instructors': Adam Smith and the role of literature in moral education Lauren Kopajtic
13. Sophie De Grouchy as an activist interpreter of Adam Smith Kathleen McCrudden Illert
14. Adam Smith and the limits of philosophy Craig Smith
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Western philosophy: c 1600 to c 1900 [HPCD]