Saving Adam Smith A Tale of Wealth, Transformation, & Virtue [PB,2001]

by Jonathan B. Wight

Adam Smith ... Father of Modern Economics ... Died in 1790 ... but 200 years later, his spirit is tortured by the caricatures we remember in his name. In Saving Adam Smith, he is tortured enough to return to Earth ... and so begins a journey of discovery that cuts across two centuries, as doctoral student Richard Burns puts his life on the line to rediscover Smith's most profound Selfishness is not enough.

Genres: School, Economics, Fiction, Business

Unknown Binding

First published November 8, 2001

Reviews

[Alanood · Rating 4 out of 5]

رواية مُحكمة ، ذات أساس علمي ومراجع علمية موثّقة ، تناقش فكر آدم سميث في حوارات ما بين طالب دراسات عليا يسعى إلى فوز رسالته الدكتوراة بجائزة سامويلسون و مهاجر التبسته روح آدم سميث .
أبرز ما تمت مناقشته في فصول الرواية :
حرية التجارة ، تقسيم العمل والإنتاجية و أثر الإفراط فيه ، العدالة الاجتماعية ، الرأسمالية في دول العالم الثالث ،اليد الخفية ،السعي للثروة ، أهمية المنافسة ، الاحتكار ، المتفرج غير المتحيز داخل الإنسان .

ما ورد في الرواية مبني على أهم كتابين لسميث : نظرية المشاعر الأخلاقية و ثروة الأمم ، والذي اتضح أنهما مكملان لبعضهما فـ مجال الأسواق والأخلاق هو نسق متكامل و لا قيمة لأي عمل اقتصادي ما لم يقوّم بالأخلاق والضمير .
كما سلطت الرواية الضوء على جوانب من حياة سميث الشخصية الغير معروفة .
الرواية هذه كنز لمحبي الإقتصاد .

[Kevinw2614 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm writing this from the back of an Uber at 1:00am after a night out in Wrigleyville, where I absolutely whipped and nae-nae'd into the contact books of a dozen girls.

Capitalism is a beautiful thing, and Wright emphasizes the necessity of a moral framework for capitalism to work within, a framework deemed essential by Adam Smith himself. When the many girls I impressed with my bussin' moves text me, do I ghost them or respond with a picture of my raised middle digit? These are the questions we must ask as we evaluate our capitalist behavior. Regulation is not, as a concept, anathema to Smith as most Tea Party paraders would have you believe. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez herself is a fan of Adam Smith. She gets it.

Wight chooses to write this story as an action-adventure. Like my time in Old Crow, it is an absolute movie, and not a very good one. For example, at one point the main characters get shot at, and they just shrug it off moments later as if it were nothing. This book should just be non-fiction. The author is also awful at writing women, unlike myself, who is rather good at women.

[John Crippen · Rating 2 out of 5]

A young economics grad student on a road trip across America with an old Romanian auto mechanic who channels Adam Smith, while a mysterious villain tries to stop them both from promoting virtuous free trade. Will the beautiful artist girlfriend show up in time to save them? Will a puppy received as a wedding gift ever really replace Rex, who died to save their lives? Will our hero finally understand that Smith's Wealth of Nations does not stand on its own and must be read in the light of The Theory of Moral Sentiments?

[Satti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have found this book informative and fun to read. I have read it fast in its Arabic translation, and I had found it to contain a lot of information about my favorite economist, Adam Smith. I came to understand that Adam Smith is not just one of the fanatics of the free market, but also an economist with a human and moral face.
So much has been said between Karl Marx and Adam Smith; but one day I want to read a book of this genre, that give us a big insight of the two schools of thought: John M. Keynes and Milton Friedman!

[مشاري · Rating 2 out of 5]

أفكار قيمة يضمها الكتاب (الرواية) عن آدم سميث الانسان ..
وعن شمولية فكره الاقتصادي وأخلاقيته; الذي يعتقد الكاتب بأن هذا الفكر لم يصل إلينا كما يجب
,
سيناريو ضعيف للرواية, وترجمة أضعف!
لو قدم الكتاب بصورة نقدية أفضل مما هو كرواية - لم ينجح اسلوبها

[Cecilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look at Adam Smith's life and work, with an absolutely crazy story going on at the same time. Definitely not the greatest novel I've read, but it served as a good introduction to the deeper meanings of Smith's work.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to teach young people about the foundations of economics.
It’s also a pretty good road story.

[KT · Rating 2 out of 5]

Explain how a book about economics still kills off the dog at the end. Please.

[Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book, but not one I'll read again. It was a good read and done.

[Alexi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the intent and general message of the book...but good grief, it's poorly written and edited.

Okay, in fairness, I may be oversensitive to the book's particular failings. That having been said...

What it does well is summarize and simplify a lot of Adam Smith's perspectives. This was useful. What it doesn't do so well is tell a story that has merit by itself. The "plotline" exists purely as a shaky skeleton on which to drape a particular economic point. But, hey. With something termed "an economic novel", you kind of know what you're getting.

[Maryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice addition to my Econ book list for HS seniors. The writing isn't all that much, but the premise of what Adam Smith would say to our generation is very clever.

[se lee]

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