2,786 research outputs found
ADAM SMITH'S OPTIMISTIC TELEOLOGICAL VIEW OF HISTORY
Full text linkAdam 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?
Full text linkThe 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,
Adam Smith and Roman Servitudes
Full text linkThis 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
Full text linkThe 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,
Dissolving the Chimera of the ‘Adam Smith Problem’
Full text linkIn 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
A Computational Investigation into the Authorship of Sister Peg
Full text linkThis article engages with the longstanding debate over the authorship of the Scottish Militia pamphlet Sister Peg (1761). While previous evidence is born out of rigorous historical research, a debate remains between whether Adam Ferguson or David Hume was the author. This article uses computational stylometry to statistically investigate this question, with the aim of complementing existing historical evidence rather than overturning it. In doing this it concludes that the work was not written solely by David Hume and, instead, Adam Ferguson is likely to be the sole author or there was a more complicated history of co-authorship
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.Bis auf das Impressum und das nur hier vorhandene Zwischentitelblatt für den "Account ..." satzgleich wie die Ausgabe von 1800, also mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit vom selben Drucker (Johann Jakob Thurneysen IV? Wilhelm Haas Sohn?) gedrucktZum Drucker: Germann scheint anzunehmen, dass das Werk von Johann Jakob Thurneysen IV gedruckt wurde (was eine Kooperation von Thurneysen u. Jakob Decker bedeuten würde); falls es sich beim "Editor of the Collection of English Classics" jedoch um Johann Lucas Legrand handeln sollte (und nicht um Thurneysen selbst?), könnte er auch aus Wilhelm Haas' (Sohn) Werkstatt stammen (die Zusammenarbeit von Thurneysen u. Legrand wurde 1791 beendet und Legrand liess danach bei Haas drucken)Keine eigene Nummer bei Germann (nur unter der Ausgabe von 1800, WV Nr. 96, erwähnt
[...] Hoc est, Dissertatio De Marginalibus Notis S. Codicis Ebraei Masoreticis in genere
Full text linkQuam ... In Celeberrima ad Albim Academia, Praeside ... Dn. M. Joh: Reinhardo, Hilperhusa Franco ... Placido Philologuntōn examini sistit Author-Respondens, Christianus Adam Scoppius, Vratisl. Silesius. Ad d. XI. Febr. Anno M.DC.LXXIV. H. Lq[ue] consuetisHebr. Text nicht transliteriert. - Nicht identisch mit VD17 12:142991W: diese ohne "Author-Respondens" und ohne Widmungsempfänger; auch nicht identisch mit VD17 12:174439K: diese ohne WidmungsempfängerDruckort ermittelt in: Benzing (Drucker
Yoram Kaniuk’s Adam Resurrected: The madness of the Shoah
No full textThe essay deals with darkly comical 1968 novel Adam Resurrected by Israeli author Yoram Kaniuk. At first shunned by Israeli readers who, gripped by the euphoria of the 1967 Six Day War, were indifferent to the suffering and brokenness of their traumatized brethren, this extraordinary book—with its blend of poetic realism, absurd humour, fantasy, and unsettling psychological portraits—is now considered a major work of Holocaust literature
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