Adam Smith, Radical and Egalitarian: An Interpretation for the 21st Century

by I. McLean, G. Brown (Foreword by)

Overview

Iain McLean reexamines the radical legacy of AdamSmith, arguing that Smith was a radical egalitarian and that his work supported all three of the slogans of the French Revolution: liberty, equality, and fraternity. McLean suggests that Smith's The Theory of Moral Sentiments , published in 1759, crystallized the radically egalitarian philosophy of the Scottish Enlightenment. This book brings Smith into full view, showing how much of modern economics and political science is in Smith. The author locates Smith's heritage firmly within the context of the Enlightenment, while addressing the international links between American, French, and Scottish histories of political thought.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781403977915
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan US
Publication date:	04/01/2007
Edition description:	2007
Pages:	172
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.02(d)

About the Author

IAIN MCLEAN is Offical Fellow in Politics, Nuffield College and Professor of Politics, University of Oxford, UK.

Table of Contents

Foreword: Rt Hon Gordon Brown Preface: A Scotsman Looks at the World The Life of an Absent-minded Professor A Weak State and a Weak Church A Non-religious Grounding of Morals: Smith and the Scottish Enlightenment Merriment and diversion: Smith on Public Finance and Public Choice The Invisible Hand and the Helping hand The French and the American Smiths Adam Smith Today

Editorial Reviews

"There is a real demand for this book, from a number of quarters…The author has an exceptionally accessible style."--Robin Naylor, University of Warwick

From the Publisher