Adam Smith and the contemporary world
نویسنده
چکیده
This paper argues that many of Adam Smith’s insights, particularly those in his Theory of moral sentiments, have a relevance to contemporary thought about economics and ethics that is currently underappreciated. In economics, for example, Smith was concerned not only with the sufficiency of self-interest at the moment of exchange but also with the wider moral motivations and institutions required to support economic activity in general. In ethics, Smith’s concept of an impartial spectator who is able to view our situation from a critical distance has much to contribute to a fuller understanding of the requirements of justice, particularly through an understanding of impartiality as going beyond the interests and concerns of a local contracting group. Smith’s open, realization-focussed and comparative approach to evaluation contrasts with what I call the “transcendental institutionalism” popular in contemporary political philosophy and associated particularly with the work of John Rawls.
منابع مشابه
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...
متن کاملS En / a Dam S Mith and the Contemporary World
This paper argues that many of Adam Smith’s insights, particularly those in his Theory of moral sentiments, have a relevance to contemporary thought about economics and ethics that is currently underappreciated. In economics, for example, Smith was concerned not only with the sufficiency of self-interest at the moment of exchange but also with the wider moral motivations and institutions requir...
متن کاملEvidence for contemporary evolution during Darwin's lifetime
Darwin's On the Origin of Species[1] introduced the world to the most fundamental concept in biological sciences - evolution. However, in the 150 years following publication of his seminal work, much has been made of the fact that Darwin was missing at least one crucial link in his chain of evidence - he had no evidence for contemporary evolution through natural selection. Indeed, as one commen...
متن کاملADAM Gene Expression in The Adult CNS and Genetic Aberrations in Cancer Cells
ADAM metalloprotease-disintegrins share a common modular structure of functional domains for proteolytic, cell adhesion, and signaling interactions. The metalloprotease domain of oughly half of the known ADAMs contain an intact consensus metzincin catalytic site, and they are thus thought to function as active metalloproteases. The types of interactions mediated by ADAMs are expressly conspicu...
متن کامل