Profits, Priests, and Princes: Adam Smith’s Emancipation of Economics from Politics and ReligionStanford University Press, 1993 - 345 sider In launching modern economics, Adam Smith paved the way for laissez-faire capitalism, Marxism, and contemporary social science. This book scrutinizes Smith's disparagement of politics and religion to illuminate the subtlety of his rhetoric, the depth of his thought, and the ultimate shortcomings of his project. The author analyzes Smith's ideas on government, justice, human psychology, and international relations, stressing Smith's efforts to elevate wealth at the expense of citizenship and to replace normative political philosophy with historical theorizing and empirical modeling that emphasize economic causes. The book also provides the most comprehensive interpretation available of Smith's views on religion, examining the discrepancies between The Wealth of Nations and The Theory of Moral Sentiments while demonstrating Smith's intransigent rejection of heaven, hell, Providence, Jesus, eschatology, prophecy, revelation, and theocracy. Throughout, the author combats superficial interpretations of Smith by revealing the complexity of his views on a variety of subjects: the deceptive allure of technology, wealth, power, and empire; the relationship between political and economic freedom; the impact of economic progress on warfare; the quarrel between ancients and moderns; the difficulties posed to the citizen by the burgeoning complexity of society; the differences between human wisdom, divine wisdom, and the wisdom of nature; the obstacles to separating church and state; and the social and psychological roots of religion. The concluding chapter appraises the demise of communism in light of the Marxian emancipation of economics from politics and religion. |
Innhold
Introduction | 1 |
Homo Economicus | 4 |
The TheologicalPolitical Problem | 8 |
Political Economy and Moral Philosophy | 35 |
International Relations | 93 |
War and Acquisition | 101 |
Progress War and the Survival of Civilization | 109 |
The Atheistic Science of Political Economy | 139 |
Religion Regime and Faction | 183 |
Karl Marx on the Withering of Religion and Politics | 235 |
235 | 291 |
341 | 315 |
Vanlige uttrykk og setninger
according Adam Smith afterlife ambition ancient argues aristocracy Aristotle authority benevolence bettering one's condition biblical bourgeois virtue Capital chapter Christian civilization claim clergy commercial society concern Cropsey discussion divine division of labor doctrine economic ends Epicurean Epicurus especially Essays esteem explain forms of government happiness Hobbes Hume impartial spectator individual interest invisible hand justice Leo Strauss liberal likewise Locke Machiavelli Mandeville mankind Marx Marx's means ment mercantile modern Montesquieu moral philosophy Moral Sentiments natural jurisprudence natural liberty nature's nomic opulence passage passions perhaps Plato political economy political philosophy praise principles produce progress promote regard regime religion religious rhetoric rich Rousseau rules seems Smith identifies Smith proceeds Smith's account Smith's Politics Smith's writings Smithian social sovereign spirit Stoic Stoicism subsistence suggests superstition system of natural theism Theory of Moral tion trade Wealth of Nations whole Winch wisdom