On Adam Smith
Wadsworth Publishing Company (October 23, 2000). 96 Pages. ISBN-10: 0534583849 ISBN-13: 978-0534583842
From the Introduction: “This book does not treat Smith as an historical curiosity who has accomplished all that he was capable of. It treats Smith as someone with a contemporary message. That capitalism is the dominant political system in the contemporary world is almost without doubt. That capitalism is succeeding, however, is much more contentious. I will argue that Smith would challenge such claims of success. As the standard of living rises in most of the world, few could challenge the notion that vast numbers of people are being left behind. While some countries gorge themselves into obesity, others starve. Furthermore, while the information revolution has made access to recorded knowledge easier than ever, global cultural experience is becoming whitewashed in a money- and media-driven frenzy of homogeneity. Every generation has complained that their successors are intellectually inferior and poorly educated. Sometimes the weaker of us are forced to wonder whether this time it might be true."
This book is introductory. It assumes no prior knowledge of Smith. However, the reader should not be tempted into thinking that it is uncontroversial. Introductory books are inevitably laden with biased agendas. In such books, there is rarely enough space or detail in which to enumerate competing interpretations or their respective merits. The beginning reader is generally excluded from controversy. In many ways, this book is no exception. It assumes that which is the most hotly debated topic in Smith scholarship: that Smith’s work is systematic. The presentation is designed to show the reader not only how Smith’s writings are connected, but how they complement each other."
On Adam Smith, like other titles in the Wadsworth Philosopher's Series, offers a concise, yet comprehensive, introduction to this philosopher's most important ideas. Presenting the most important insights of well over a hundred seminal philosophers in both the Eastern and Western traditions, the Wadsworth Philosophers Series contains volumes written by scholars noted for their excellence in teaching and for their well-versed comprehension of each featured philosopher's major works and contributions. These titles have proven valuable in a number of ways. Serving as standalone texts when tackling a philosophers' original sources or as helpful resources for focusing philosophy students' engagements with these philosopher's often conceptually daunting works, these titles have also gained extraordinary popularity with a lay readership and quite often serve as "refreshers" for philosophy instructors.
This book is introductory. It assumes no prior knowledge of Smith. However, the reader should not be tempted into thinking that it is uncontroversial. Introductory books are inevitably laden with biased agendas. In such books, there is rarely enough space or detail in which to enumerate competing interpretations or their respective merits. The beginning reader is generally excluded from controversy. In many ways, this book is no exception. It assumes that which is the most hotly debated topic in Smith scholarship: that Smith’s work is systematic. The presentation is designed to show the reader not only how Smith’s writings are connected, but how they complement each other."
On Adam Smith, like other titles in the Wadsworth Philosopher's Series, offers a concise, yet comprehensive, introduction to this philosopher's most important ideas. Presenting the most important insights of well over a hundred seminal philosophers in both the Eastern and Western traditions, the Wadsworth Philosophers Series contains volumes written by scholars noted for their excellence in teaching and for their well-versed comprehension of each featured philosopher's major works and contributions. These titles have proven valuable in a number of ways. Serving as standalone texts when tackling a philosophers' original sources or as helpful resources for focusing philosophy students' engagements with these philosopher's often conceptually daunting works, these titles have also gained extraordinary popularity with a lay readership and quite often serve as "refreshers" for philosophy instructors.
"The finest introduction to Adam Smith I have ever read. Dr. Weinstein shows why philosophy is essential to our understanding and development of economic thinking and to economics itself. Both philosophers and economists stand to profit by it - as does the general reader." - Professor Daniel Kolak, William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey
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