1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910502656003321

Autore

Diatkine Daniel

Titolo

Adam Smith and the Wealth of Nations : The Discovery of Capitalism and Its Limits / / by Daniel Diatkine

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cham : , : Springer International Publishing : , : Imprint : Palgrave Macmillan, , 2021

ISBN

3-030-81600-1

Edizione

[1st ed. 2021.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (270 pages)

Collana

Palgrave Studies in the History of Economic Thought, , 2662-6586

Disciplina

330.153

Soggetti

Economics - History

Economic history

Economics

Industries

History of Economic Thought and Methodology

Economic History

Political Economy and Economic Systems

Sector and Industry Studies

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

1. Smith and Economic Liberalism -- 2. Hume’s challenge: Hume’s theory of promise -- 3. The rules of the game -- 4. The (Benign) Economic Consequences of the Mercantile System -- 5. The malignant effects of the mercantile system -- 6. Economic Progress without Capital Accumulation -- 7. The Accumulation of Capital -- 8. Employment, Money and Interest in the Wealth of Nations -- 9. Conclusion.

Sommario/riassunto

“With an unsurpassed mastery of Adam Smith’s work Daniel Diatkine has written an important revisionist interpretation. By a determined concentration on the problems Smith himself saw and tried to solve, rather than the problems we may have wanted him to see and solve, Diatkine is able to set aside a good deal of the anachronism that still distorts our understanding of the Scottish thinker. Here a striking contribution is Diatkine’s focus on class as an important factor in Smith’s analysis of the detrimental role of the people who wielded



capital.” --Prof. Knud Haakonssen, University of Saint Andrews, U.K. “This powerful and lucid book frees Smith's thought from common misrepresentations and revives his original intent.” --Prof. Laurent Jaffro, Panthéon-Sorbonne University, France. “Diatkine’s impressive work addresses multiple Adam Smith problems: how Smith’s impartial spectator and our love of system and order, transformed Aristotle’s chrematistic concerns into the beneficial desire to accumulate capital; solved Hume’s puzzlement why we obey political (and economic) contracts; both ultimately generating economic wealth but under the oppressive mercantilist system; necessitating its replacement with Smith’s alternative system of natural liberty – thereby generating new theoretical and practical problems. Here is a true tour de force.” --Prof. Spencer J. Pack, Connecticut College, USA “Diatkine combines intelligent textual analysis and deep knowledge of the historical and cultural context to offer new perspectives on the most famous economic work of all time.” --Prof Annalisa Rosselli, Università degli studi di Roma « Tor Vergata », Italy This book examines Smith’s criticism of the mercantile system, the political dimension of capitalism. Through insights into Smith’s analysis of the political threats of capital accumulation and the growth of inequality, the point at which he discovered capitalism is highlighted. This book aims to explore Smith’s belief set out in The Wealth of Nations that the mercantile system was a viable, if politically dangerous, economic model. It is relevant to students and researchers interested in the history of economic thought. Daniel Diatkine is Emeritus Professor for economics at the University of Paris-Saclay/University of Évry.