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How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: an Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness
Paperback
Published September 3, 2015
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December 30, 2025
Long live Western philosophy!
What a phenomenal yet simplistic explanation of The Theory of Moral Sentiments from economist Russ Roberts!
Though it was The Wealth of Nations that changed my outlook on the world when I first read it in 2019, The Theory of Moral Sentiments often confused me. How could Adam Smith, the father of modern capitalism, who dealt with topics of money, trade, and finance also explore the subjects of psychology and human behavior? How could someone who established the concepts of “self-interest” and the “invisible hand” also come up with the “impartial spectator”?
Smith argued that self-interest and social conduct aren't enemies and true virtue isn't self-denial, rather it's self-command, i.e., directing our life toward an end that is both personally rewarding and socially harmonious.
If you're in your early twenties, Adam Smith's The Theory of Moral Sentiments is exactly the book you should pick up. However, I never realized the depth of Adam Smith’s original writing until I read this one.
I say long live Western thought because one can clearly see how these ideas of Adam Smith have left an indelible influence on Hayek, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, and others.
What a phenomenal yet simplistic explanation of The Theory of Moral Sentiments from economist Russ Roberts!
Though it was The Wealth of Nations that changed my outlook on the world when I first read it in 2019, The Theory of Moral Sentiments often confused me. How could Adam Smith, the father of modern capitalism, who dealt with topics of money, trade, and finance also explore the subjects of psychology and human behavior? How could someone who established the concepts of “self-interest” and the “invisible hand” also come up with the “impartial spectator”?
Smith argued that self-interest and social conduct aren't enemies and true virtue isn't self-denial, rather it's self-command, i.e., directing our life toward an end that is both personally rewarding and socially harmonious.
If you're in your early twenties, Adam Smith's The Theory of Moral Sentiments is exactly the book you should pick up. However, I never realized the depth of Adam Smith’s original writing until I read this one.
I say long live Western thought because one can clearly see how these ideas of Adam Smith have left an indelible influence on Hayek, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, and others.
Displaying 1 of 1 review