Topics

Major Works

  • Lectures on Jurisprudence (1762)

    - Recommended edition: Smith, Adam. Lectures on Jurisprudence. Edited by R. L. Meek, D. D. Raphael, and P. G. Stein. Vol. 5 of The Glasgow Edition of the Works and Correspondence of Adam Smith. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 1982.
    Excerpt: 1stThe first and chief design of every system of government is to maintain justice; to prevent the members of a society from incroaching on one anothers property, or siezing what is not their own. The design here is to give each one the secure and… More

  • Lectures on Justice, Police, Revenue, and Arms (1763)

    - Recommended edition: Smith, Adam. Lectures on Justice, Police, Revenue, and Arms (1763). Edited by Edwin Cannan. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1896.
    Excerpt: It is to be observed in general that the situation of a country, and the degree of improvement of which it is susceptible, not only in the cultivation of the land, but in other branches of trade, is favourable to the introduction of a republican… More

  • An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776)

    - Smith, Adam. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. Edited by Edwin Cannan. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1976.
    Excerpt: The annual labour of every nation is the fund which originally supplies it with all the necessaries and conveniencies of life which it annually consumes, and which consist always either in the immediate produce of that labour, or in what is purchased… More

  • Essays on Philosophical Subjects (1795)

    - Smith, Adam. Essays on Philosophical Subjects. Edited by W. P. D. Wightman and J. C. Bryce. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 1982.
    Excerpt: Plato, however, seems to have regarded the first of those as equally distinct with the second from what we would now call the Ideas or Thoughts of the Divine Mind , and even to have supposed, that they had a particular place of existence, beyond the… More

  • The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759)

    - Recommended edition: Smith, Adam. The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Edited by D. D. Raphael and A. L. Macfie. Oxford: Clarendon Press; New York: Oxford University Press, 1976.
    Excerpt: How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it except the pleasure of seeing it.… More

Commentary

  • “Adam Smith as a Person”

    - Bagehot, Walter. “Adam Smith as a Person.” The Collected Works of Walter Bagehot 3 (1876): 113–19.
    Excerpt: “Of Adam Smith’s Political Economy almost an infinite quantity has been said, but very little has been said as to Adam Smith himself. And yet not only was he one of the most curious of human beings, but his books can hardly be understood… More

  • “Commerce and Culture”

    - Bloom, Allan. “Commerce and Culture.” Giants and Dwarfs: Essays 1960-1990 (1960): 277–294.

  • Life of Adam Smith

    - Rae, John. Life of Adam Smith. Cosimo Classics, 2006.
    Excerpt: “ADAM SMITH was born at Kirkcaldy, in the county of Fife, Scotland, on the 5th of June 1723. He was the son of Adam Smith, Writer to the Signet, Judge Advocate for Scotland and Comptroller of the Customs in the Kirkcaldy district, by Margaret,… More

  • “Smith’s Travels on the Ship of State”

    - Stigler, George J. “Smith’s Travels on the Ship of State.” History of Political Economy 3, no. 2 (September 21, 1971): 265–277. doi:10.1215/00182702-3-2-265.
    Excerpt: “THE Wealth of Nations is a stupendous palace erected upon the granite of self-interest. It was not a narrow foundation: “though the principles of common prudence do not always govern the conduct of every individual, they always influence… More

  • “Adam Smith: Philosophy and Science”

    - Skinner, Andrew S. “Adam Smith: Philosophy and Science.” Scottish Journal of Political Economy 19, no. 3 (1972): 307–319. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9485.1972.tb00527.x.

  • Essays on Adam Smith

    - Skinner, Andrew S., and Thomas Wilson. Essays on Adam Smith. Clarendon Press, 1975.

  • Polity and Economy by Joseph Cropsey

    - Cropsey, Joseph. Polity and Economy: An Interpretation of the Principles of Adam Smith. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1977.
    This classic work locates Smith’s work and theory within the history of political philosophy and demonstrates the extent to which Smith’s theory can be seen as an outgrowth of modern political philosophy.

  • “Adam Smith and the Problem of Justice in Capitalist Society”

    - Devine, Donald J. “Adam Smith and the Problem of Justice in Capitalist Society.” The Journal of Legal Studies 6, no. 2 (1977): 399–409.
    Excerpt: “ON the occasion of the bicentennial of the publication of the Wealth of Nations we finally saw capitalism evaluated on the basis of Adam Smith’s own conception of justice.’ Normally, capitalism has been analyzed with external… More

  • The Theory of Economic Policy in English Classical Political Economy

    - Robbins, Lionel Robbins. The Theory of Economic Policy in English Classical Political Economy. Philadelphia: Porcupine Press, 1978.

  • “Needs and Justice in the Wealth of Nations: An Introductory Essay.”

    - Hont, Istvan, and Michael Ignatieff. “Needs and Justice in the Wealth of Nations: An Introductory Essay.” In Wealth and Virtue. Cambridge University Press, 1983.
    From the Publisher: “Wealth and Virtue reassesses the remarkable contribution of the Scottish Enlightenment to the formation of modern economics and to theories of capitalism. Its unique range indicates the scope of the Scottish intellectual achievement… More

  • Before Adam Smith: The Emergence of Political Economy, 1662-1776

    - Hutchison, T. W. Before Adam Smith: The Emergence of Political Economy, 1662-1776. Oxford, UK; New York, NY, USA: B. Blackwell, 1988.
    From the Publisher: “In this new work Professor Hutchiso n emphasizes the inadequacy of an exclusivist dichotomy between mercantilism and laissez-faire. He demonstrates that the main, formative century between Petty and Smith was characterized by a… More

  • “The Utilitarian Foundations of Natural Law”

    - Epstein, Richard A. “The Utilitarian Foundations of Natural Law.” Harv. JL & Pub. Pol’y 12 (1989): 711.
    Excerpt: “Contemporary thinking about rights draws a sharp line between deontological and consequentialist ethical theories. Deontological theories are associated with the natural law tradition as it has developed in this century, while… More

  • “Adam Ferguson, Adam Smith, and the Problem of National Defense”

    - Sher, Richard B. “Adam Ferguson, Adam Smith, and the Problem of National Defense.” The Journal of Modern History 61, no. 2 (1989): 240–268.
    Excerpt: “It has long been recognized that eighteenth-century Scotland gave birth to political economy as a sophisticated scholarly discipline. Hailing from a relatively impoverished nation that had joined its larger southerneighbor in 1707 to form a… More

  • Adam Smith in His Time and Ours by Jerry Muller

    - Muller, Jerry Z. Adam Smith in His Time and Ours: Designing the Decent Society. New York: Free Press; Toronto: Maxwell Macmillan Canada; New York: Maxwell Macmillan International, 1993.
    From the Publisher: In recent years Adam Smith has been championed by advocates of the market economy. This book analyzes Smith’s economic and political thought, and concludes that far from subscribing to unregulated self-interest, Smith believed the… More

  • “Aristotle and Adam Smith on Justice: Cooperation Between Ancients and Moderns?”

    - Berns, Laurence. “Aristotle and Adam Smith on Justice: Cooperation Between Ancients and Moderns?” The Review of Metaphysics (1994): 71–90.
    Excerpt: “Sympathy in smith. The most wide-spread, but ill-informed, opinion about Adam Smith, based on his reputation as the founder of modern economics, makes him out to be a Social Darwinist for whom the most important form of human interaction is… More

  • Adam Smith’s Discourse: Canonicity, Commerce and Conscience

    - Brown, Vivienne. Adam Smith’s Discourse: Canonicity, Commerce and Conscience. Routledge, 1994.
    From the Publisher: “Adam Smith’s name has become synonymous with free market economics; The Wealth of Nations is taken as the definitive account of the benefits of free competitive markets. Yet recent scholarship has challenged this view and… More

  • Republics Ancient and Modern

    - Rahe, Paul Anthony. Republics Ancient and Modern. UNC Press Books, 1994.
    From a Review: This is a work vast in scale, soaring in its scholarly ambition, and magnificent, if uneven, in its achievement. The author’s command of the primary sources is staggering in breadth and depth, deftly orchestrated, and rich with insight. Three… More

  • Adam Smith’s System of Liberty, Wealth, and Virtue: The Moral and Political Foundations of The Wealth of Nations

    - Fitzgibbons, Athol. Adam Smith’s System of Liberty, Wealth, and Virtue: The Moral and Political Foundations of The Wealth of Nations. OUP Catalogue. Oxford University Press, 1997.
    From the Publisher: “This book examines the influence that Adam Smith’s philosophy had on his economics, drawing on the neglected parts of Smith’s writings to show that the political and economic theories built logically on his morals. It… More

  • “Sympathetic Liberalism: Recent Work on Adam Smith”

    - Darwall, Stephen. “Sympathetic Liberalism: Recent Work on Adam Smith.” Philosophy & Public Affairs 28, no. 2 (1999): 139–164. doi:10.1111/j.1088-4963.1999.00139.x.
    Abstract: “A review of Athol Fitzgibbons, Adam Smith’s System of Liberty, Wealth, and Virtue (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995; paperback, 1998), 222 pp.; Charles L. Griswold, Jr., Adam Smith and the Virtues of Enlightenment (Cambridge: Cambridge… More

  • Adam Smith and the Virtues of Enlightenment

    - Griswold, Charles L. Adam Smith and the Virtues of Enlightenment. Cambridge University Press, 1999.
    From the Publisher: “Although Adam Smith is often thought of today as an economist, he was in fact (as his great contemporaries Hume, Burke, Kant, and Hegel recognized) an original and insightful thinker whose work covers an immense territory including… More

  • Adam Smith and the Classics: The Classical Heritage in Adam Smith’s Thought

    - Vivenza, Gloria. Adam Smith and the Classics: The Classical Heritage in Adam Smith’s Thought. OUP Catalogue. Oxford University Press, 2001.
    From the Publisher: “This book defines the relationship between the thought of Adam Smith and that of the ancients–Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, and the Stoics. Vivenza offers a complete survey of Smith’s writings to illustrate how classical… More

  • Influential Economists

    - Bussing-Burks, Marie. Influential Economists. The Oliver Press, Inc., 2003.

  • The Mind and the Market: Capitalism in Western Thought by Jerry Muller

    - Muller, Jerry Z. The Mind and the Market: Capitalism in Western Thought. New York: Anchor Books, 2003.
    From the Publisher: “Capitalism has never been a subject for economists alone. Philosophers, politicians, poets and social scientists have debated the cultural, moral, and political effects of capitalism for centuries, and their claims have been many… More

  • “Adam Smith in Context: A Critical Reassessment of Some Central Components of His Thought”

    - Otteson, James R. “Adam Smith in Context: A Critical Reassessment of Some Central Components of His Thought.” Journal of Scottish Philosophy 3, no. 1 (2005): 98–102.

  • Authentic Adam Smith: Hs Life and Ideas

    - Buchan, James. Authentic Adam Smith: Hs Life and Ideas. New York, NY: W W Norton & Co, 2007.
    From the Publisher: “Celebrated author James Buchan on the widely known—but often misread—Scottish philosopher Adam Smith. Adam Smith (1723-1790) has been adopted by neoconservatives as the ideological father of unregulated business and small… More

  • Adam Smith’s Moral Philosophy

    - Evensky, Jerry. Adam Smith’s Moral Philosophy. Cambridge University Press, 2007.
    From the Publisher: “Adam Smith is the best known among economists for his book, The Wealth of Nations, often viewed as the keystone of modern economic thought. Others, often heterodox economists and social philosophers, on the contrary, focus on… More

  • On Adam Smith’s “Wealth of Nations”: A Philosophical Companion

    - Fleischacker, Samuel. On Adam Smith’s “Wealth of Nations”: A Philosophical Companion. Princeton University Press, 2009.
    From the Publisher: “Adam Smith was a philosopher before he ever wrote about economics, yet until now there has never been a philosophical commentary on theWealth of Nations. Samuel Fleischacker suggests that Smith’s vastly influential treatise on… More

  • The Impartial Spectator: Adam Smith’s Moral Philosophy

    - Raphael, D. D. The Impartial Spectator: Adam Smith’s Moral Philosophy. OUP Catalogue. Oxford University Press, 2009.
    From the Publisher: “D. D. Raphael provides a critical account of the moral philosophy of Adam Smith, presented in his first book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Whilst it does not have the same prominence in its field as his work on economics, The… More

  • “Recovering the Case for Capitalism” by Yuval Levin

    - Levin, Yuval. “Recovering the Case for Capitalism.” National Affairs (2010).
    Excerpt: A recovery of the case for capitalism should begin at the beginning. As always when we want to become reacquainted with ourselves, we Americans would be wise to start with a refreshing dip into the late 18th century, when our way of life was born.… More

  • Adam Smith: An Enlightened Life

    - Phillipson, N. T. Adam Smith: An Enlightened Life. New Haven [Conn.]; London: Yale University Press, 2010.
    From the Publisher: “The great eighteenth-century British economist Adam Smith (1723–90) is celebrated as the founder of modern economics. Yet Smith saw himself primarily as a philosopher rather than an economist and would never have predicted that… More

  • The Life of Adam Smith

    - Ross, Ian Simpson, and Adam T Smith. The Life of Adam Smith. Oxford [etc.]: Oxford University Press, 2010.
    From the Publisher: “This new edition of The Life of Adam Smith remains the only book to give a full account of Smith’s life whilst also placing his work into the context of his life and times. Updated to include new scholarship which has… More

  • Adam Smith and the Scotland of His Day

    - Fay, C.R. Adam Smith and the Scotland of His Day. Cambridge: University Press, 2011.
    From the Publisher: “The Augustan Age in Scotland was the half-century between the publication of Hume’s Treatise on Human Nature and the death of Robert Burns in 1796. In this period Edinburgh was at her height as a cultural centre. This is a… More

  • After Adam Smith: a Century of Transformation in Politics and Political Economy

    - Milgate, Murray, and Shannon C Stimson. After Adam Smith: a Century of Transformation in Politics and Political Economy. Princeton, N.J.; Woodstock: Princeton University Press, 2011.
    From the Publisher: “Few issues are more central to our present predicaments than the relationship between economics and politics. In the century after Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations the British economy was transformed. After Adam Smith looks… More

  • The Moral Imagination by Gertrude Himmelfarb

    - Himmelfarb, Gertrude. The Moral Imagination: From Adam Smith to Lionel Trilling. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2012.
    From the Publisher: In The Moral Imagination, Gertrude Himmelfarb, one of America’s most distinguished intellectual historians, explores the minds and lives of some of the most brilliant and provocative thinkers of modern times. In their distinctive… More

  • History of Political Philosophy

    - Strauss, Leo, and Joseph Cropsey. History of Political Philosophy. University of Chicago Press, 2012.
    From the Publisher: “This volume provides an unequaled introduction to the thought of chief contributors to the Western tradition of political philosophy from classical Greek antiquity to the twentieth century. Written by specialists on the various… More

  • The Oxford Handbook of Adam Smith

    - Berry, Christopher J., Maria Pia Paganelli, and Craig Smith. The Oxford Handbook of Adam Smith. Oxford University Press, 2013.
    From the Publisher: “Adam Smith (1723-90) is a thinker with a distinctive perspective on human behaviour and social institutions. He is best known as the author of the An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776). Yet his work… More

  • Passions and the Interests: Political Arguments for Capitalism before Its Triumph

    - Hirschman, Albert O. Passions and the Interests: Political Arguments for Capitalism before Its Triumph. [S.l.]: Princeton University Pres, 2013.
    From the Publisher: “In this volume, Albert Hirschman reconstructs the intellectual climate of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to illuminate the intricate ideological transformation that occurred, wherein the pursuit of material… More

  • Economic Sentiments: Adam Smith, Condorcet, and the Enlightenment

    - Rothschild, Emma. Economic Sentiments: Adam Smith, Condorcet, and the Enlightenment. Harvard University Press, 2013.
    From the Publisher: “In a brilliant recreation of the epoch between the 1770s and the 1820s, Emma Rothschild reinterprets the ideas of the great revolutionary political economists to show us the true landscape of economic and political thought in their… More

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