Adam Smith: Systematic Philosopher and Public Thinker

by Eric Schliesser

Eric Schliesser's Adam Smith is the product of two decades' reflection by the author on the great Scottish Enlightenment. Unique among treatments of Adam Smith, Schliesser's book treats him as a systematic philosopher. Smith was a giant of the Scottish Enlightenment with polymath interests; Schliesser thus explores Smith's economics and ethics in light of his other commitments on the nature of knowledge, the theory of emotions, the theory of mind, his account of language, the nature of causation, and his views on methodology. He places Smith's ideas in the context of a host of other philosophers, especially Hume, Rousseau, and Newton; and he draws on the reception of Smith's ideas by Sophie de Grouchy, Mary Wollstonecraft, and other philosophers and economists to sketch the elements of, and the detailed connections within, Smith's system.

Adam Smith traces the outlines of Smith's intellectual system and situates it in the context of his highly developed views on the norms that govern responsible speech. In particular, the book articulates Smith's concerns about the impact of his public policy recommendations, especially on the least powerful in society. In so doing, Schliesser offers new interpretations of Smith's views on the invisible hand, the Wealth of Nations , his treatment of virtue, the nature of freedom, the individual's relationship to society, his account of the passions, the moral roles of religion, and his treatment of the role of mathematics in economics.

While the book does offer a single argument, it is organized in a modular fashion and includes a helpful index; readers with a more focused interest in Smith's achievements can skip to their section of interest.

Genres: Philosophy

432 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 2017

About the author

Eric Schliesser is Professor of Political Theory at the University of Amsterdam. His research encompasses a variety of themes, ranging from economic statistics in classical Babylon, the history of the natural sciences and forgotten eighteenth-century feminists, to political theory and the assumptions used in mathematical economics. His recent publications include Adam Smith: Systematic Philosopher and Public Thinker (Oxford University Press, 2017) and a translation with commentary of Sophie de Grouchy's Letters on Sympathy (together with Sandrine Bergès).

Reviews

[Paul Crider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without a doubt, this is a Smith book for Smith nerds. In other words, it's not for the novice Smith reader. But the scope of the book is vast, covering expected topics like the sympathetic mechanism in the Theory of Moral Sentiments and Smith's political philosophy, but also exploring less well-covered topics like Smith's views on religion and his sophisticated (and proto-Kuhnian!) philosophy of science.

Because of the scope, the book is hard to summarize for review. I'll say instead that as I made my way through the book, I often found myself surprised to enjoy discussions in sections of the book about topics I wasn't particularly interested in. As an example, I was captivated by Schliesser's discussion of viewing oneself as a moral cause and in particular Smith's "piacular" , a sentiment I was unfamiliar with, having apparently glazed over its discussion when I originally read TMS. (It means the feeling of wanting to make atonement for causing damage through no fault of one's own.)

Schliesser's book makes an essential reference volume for anyone commenting on Smith.