2,805 research outputs found
ADAM SMITH'S OPTIMISTIC TELEOLOGICAL VIEW OF HISTORY
No full textAdam Smith's four-stage theory provides the framework for his writings on history. The fourth stage is the commercial epoch; the culmination of history in this stage is a key component in the conventional interpretation of Adam Smith as a prophet of commercialism. In two historical case studies Smith shows the capacity of commercial society to regenerate itself. This potent capacity suggests that commercial society is inevitable. At a certain point in time it also overcomes the major obstacles to its permanence. Smith's philosophy of history anticipates the end of history views of Kant and Hegel.Political Economy,
ADAM SMITH'S VIEW OF HISTORY: CONSISTENT OR PARADOXICAL?
No full textThe conventional interpretation of Adam Smith is that he is a prophet of commercialism. The liberal capitalist reading of Smith is consistent with the view that history culminates in commercial society. The first part of the article develops this optimistic interpretation of Smith's view of history. Smith implies that commercial society is the end of history because 1) it supplies the ends of nature that he identifies; 2) it is inevitable; and 3) it is permanent. The second part of the article shows that Smith has some dark moments in his writings where he seems to reject completely such teleological notions. In this more civic humanist mood he confesses that commercial society does not supply the ends of nature, nor is it inevitable, nor is it permanent. Both views exist in Smith and the commentator is forced to choose between passages in Smith's work in order to support a particular interpretation of the former's view of history.Political Economy,
Starting and Maintaining 4-H Clubs
No full textThis revised 16-page guide, intended for 4-H staff and volunteers, provides an overview of the types of clubs, the criteria and forms for chartering a new club, and for maintaining club status annually. It also outlines the fiscal responsibilities of club management and the standards for recognition. Written by J. Jordan, B. Terry, D. Pracht, J. Butterfield, and A. Cletzer, and published by the UF Department of 4-H Youth Development, March 2012
Starting and Maintaining 4-H Clubs
No full textThis revised 16-page guide, intended for 4-H staff and volunteers, provides an overview of the types of clubs, the criteria and forms for chartering a new club, and for maintaining club status annually. It also outlines the fiscal responsibilities of club management and the standards for recognition. Written by J. Jordan, B. Terry, D. Pracht, J. Butterfield, and A. Cletzer, and published by the UF Department of 4-H Youth Development, March 2012
Adam Smith and Roman Servitudes
No full textThis essay is a preprint of an article that appeared at: Tijdschrift voor Rechstsgeschiedenis, 72 (2004), 327–57.This essay discusses Adam Smith historical jurisprudence and his use of Roman law materials in his Lectures on Jurisprudence. It argues that Smith found it difficult to maintain his theory of legal development in the face of a highly developed body of Roman law literature
THE THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATION OF ADAM SMITH'S WORK
No full textThe paper will discuss the theological foundation to Smith's writings. Teleology, final causes and divine design were initially seen as central to understanding Smith's writings. Over time, this view fell out of fashion. In the period after World War II, with the rise of positivism, commentators tended to overlook or downplay this interpretation. In the last decade, or so, teleology has started to be restored to its former position as an essential element in understanding Smith. After spelling out Smith's teleology and his view of final causes, divine design and the ends of nature, we try to explain the Panglossian nature of the 'new theistic view' of Smith. While our view differs somewhat, we agree with the essence of the 'new view' claim: a theological view exists in Smith which underpins his moral and economic theories.Political Economy,
Eco-Leadership in Practice: A Mixed Methods Study of County 4-H Programs
No full textOur understanding of leaders and the role they play in organizations and society is changing. Four broad discourses of leadership have been identified as occurring during the past 100 years: controller, therapist, messiah, and eco-leader. The most recent, eco-leader discourse, is characterized by collective decision-making, collaboration, shared leadership, and grassroots organization. Eco-leadership is believed to be beneficial for organizations operating in a 21st century, knowledge-driven economy. A quintessential example of an ecological organization is the Extension Service's 4-H program, the organization which this study examines. However, in 4-H, as in many organizations, a majority of leadership development efforts focus on the individual, positional leader. Further, the vast majority of the literature devoted to eco-leadership is conceptual in nature; empirical studies linking leadership approaches to organizational outcomes are rare.
This study uses an explanatory sequential mixed methods design to examine: (a) the nature of the relationship between county 4-H agents' leadership discourse preferences and programmatic success; (b) county 4-H association members' levels of systemic and hierarchical thinking and programmatic success; (c) the way in which county 4-H association members' perceive their leadership within their counties; and (d) the relationship between these volunteers' perceptions of their leadership and other variables associated with programmatic success.
Findings indicate that the therapist discourse was the most preferred discourse among county 4-H agents, but that agents' discourse scores were unrelated to county 4-H program success. Associations' levels of hierarchical and systemic thinking were also not related to county 4-H program success. Additionally, county 4-H association members reported that: (a) agents play a central role in decision making and communication within the association; (b) association members rarely make decisions on programmatic matters; (c) associations are often not structured in accordance with 4-H's policy for associations; and (d) members are not provided opportunities for development in their roles as association members.Ph. D.The one thing we know about leadership is that it changes. Who we recognize as a leader changes over time. What we recognize as leadership also changes over time. In the last 100 years, there have been four eras of leadership, which one researcher dubbed: controller, therapist, messiah, and ecoleader. The latter, eco-leader era, is a 21st century society’s response to the technological and social changes taking place. As the world and its problems become more complex, so too have our ways of addressing them — and that requires a new kind of leader and a new kind of leadership.
But no one knows if this new form of leadership is more effective than any other. There is no scientific evidence, in other words. Rather, most claims are theoretical — it should be better, in theory. This study sought to link the eco-leader era’s approach to actual programmatic success and verify that it is effective. I studied county 4-H programs, which, it is generally believed, subscribe to the eco-leader approach. I surveyed two groups involved in 4-H, categorized the counties as high or low scoring based on their program’s success, and then followed up with small-group discussions in six counties.
What I found is that one group, agents, actually preferred an older era of leadership: therapist. The other group, volunteers, had a variety of views. Regardless of either group’s views, neither seemed to be related to program success. It seems any type of leadership could lead to success or failure. When we met for small-group discussions, however, the three high-scoring counties did tend to describe a more eco-leader style organization, while the low-scoring counties tended to favor older approaches to leadership in which the person in charge makes most of the decisions and the rest carry them out.
This is important to investigate because leadership is, at its root, the way in which people accomplish things in groups. Understanding how we as humans change those ways to meet the demands of our time and determining if they are effective, and, if so, how can we share those strategies with others, is important work to help people grapple with the challenges of an ever-more-complex world
Dissolving the Chimera of the ‘Adam Smith Problem’
No full textIn The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith set out his influential theory that societies achieve prosperity by securing the freedom of individuals to pursue their own end by the means they choose within a framework of rules of justice. In his earlier work The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Smith developed his thesis about the origins of our moral sentiments and the emergence of rules of justice. The socalled ‘Adam Smith Problem’ concerns the perceived inconsistency between Smith’s defence of selfinterest in the Wealth of Nations and his emphasis of sympathy as the origin of moral sentiments in the earlier work. The existence of the ‘Adam Smith Problem’ has been contested by many writers. The present author provides a number of new arguments to demonstrate the illusory nature of the problem by revisiting the key elements Smith’s moral theory. The author argues that the problem dissolves when the role of justice in providing the conditions of free trade is understood. Smith’s tirade against wealth worship is explained as part of his defence of justice and not a condemnation of wealth accumulation. According to this reading, the Theory of Moral Sentiments is a powerful statement of the moral basis of capitalism.
To Which Is Prefixed, An Account of the Life and Writings of the Author
No full textBy The late Adam Smith, LL. D. Fellow Of The Royal Societies Of London And Edinburgh, &c. &c.. To Which Is Prefixed, An Account of the Life and Writings of the Author / By Dugald Stewart, F.R.S.E.Dieses Werk wurde von Johann Jakob Thurneysen IV (oder eventuell auch von Wilhelm Haas Sohn) gedruckt, und ein Teil der Auflage von Thurneysen, ein Teil von (Georg) Jakob Decker verkauftAuf vorderem Spiegel Etikette: "Burckhardt-Gemuseus" 21.10.2020/A100/HPFAuf vorderem Spiegel Etikette: "Universitäts Bibliothek in Basel - Geschenk", darunter hs. ergänzt: "der Erben des Herrn J.J. Stehlin, 1894." 21.10.2020/A100/HP
Eco-Leadership, Complexity Science, and 21st Century Organizations: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis
No full textThroughout the 20th century, the traditional approach to leadership was based on “machine metaphors and machine-like assumptions” (Allen et al, 1999, p. 67; Rost, 1997). Leadership was seen as derived from position, vested in an individual, top-down in nature, and “driven by power for the purpose of control” (Allen et al., 1999, p. 67). The leader and his or her actions were viewed as “more critical than those of any other member of the group” (Wielkiewicz, 2000, p. 335). Those individuals within an organization who were “most competent and loyal” were appointed to leadership positions and assumed responsibility for the organization’s overall success; they provided vision for the organization and direction to followers (Chemers, 1997, p. 11). The focus of leadership studies, then, became to make these individuals better leaders, and, indeed, “much of empirical research on leadership focuses on predicting outcomes that reside at the individual level of analysis” (DeChurch et al., 2010, p. 1069).Accepted versio
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