Adam Smith and Sophie de Grouchy on Education

Religion and Spirituality: Adam Smith versus J-J Rousseau

Adam Smith and J-J Rousseau share some common ground when it comes to religion, namely that they were born into  and educated in cultural contexts deeply shaped by Reformed Christianity. However, close consideration of their writings on religion reveal marked difference. This paper explores those differences and finds that Rousseau and Smith are radically at odds on this score. Smith has almost...

Adam Smith and Greed

Empathy’s purity, sympathy’s complexities; De Waal, Darwin and Adam Smith

Frans de Waal's view that empathy is at the basis of morality directly seems to build on Darwin, who considered sympathy as the crucial instinct. Yet when we look closer, their understanding of the central social instinct differs considerably. De Waal sees our deeply ingrained tendency to sympathize (or rather: empathize) with others as the good side of our morally dualistic nature. For Darwin,...

Adam Smith , Behavioral

Adam Smith , Behavioral Economist