Adam Smith, Adam Ferguson, and the reconceptualization of philosophy in eighteenth-century Scotland

Smith, C. (2022) Adam Smith, Adam Ferguson, and the reconceptualization of philosophy in eighteenth-century Scotland. History of Political Economy, 54(5), pp. 921-934. (doi: 10.1215/00182702-10005774)

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Abstract

One of the most powerful themes in the contemporary revisionist literature on the Scottish Enlightenment is the desire to understand the disciplinary context within which political economy began to develop. Central to this is the observation that Adam Smith was a professor of moral philosophy and conceived of his writing as a branch of that discipline. In this article I suggest that we can better come to understand some important elements of Smith's thinking if we appreciate and read The Theory of Moral Sentiments in the context of a philosophical debate between Smith and his contemporary Adam Ferguson, a debate that is driven by the pedagogical dimensions of moral philosophy in the eighteenth-century Scottish universities.

Item Type:Articles
Keywords:Economics and Econometrics, History
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Smith, Professor Craig
Authors: Smith, C.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Politics
Journal Name:History of Political Economy
Publisher:Duke University Press
ISSN:0018-2702
ISSN (Online):1527-1919
Published Online:10 June 2022

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