Adam Smith's Moral Philosophy Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Adam Smith's Moral Philosophy
- PART ONE ON ADAM SMITH'S MORAL PHILOSOPHICAL VISION
- 1 Adam Smith's Vision
- 2 On Human Nature, Social Norms, Co-Evolution, Natural Selection, and the Human Prospect
- 3 On the Role of Positive Law in Humankind's Evolution
- 4 On the Role of Religion in Humankind's Evolution
- PART TWO ON THE PLACE OF THE WEALTH OF NATIONS IN ADAM SMITH'S MORAL PHILOSOPHICAL VISION
- PART THREE ON ADAM SMITH'S MORAL PHILOSOPHICAL VISION AND THE MODERN DISCOURSE
- Epilogue: On the Human Prospect
- References
- Index
1 - Adam Smith's Vision
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 November 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Adam Smith's Moral Philosophy
- PART ONE ON ADAM SMITH'S MORAL PHILOSOPHICAL VISION
- 1 Adam Smith's Vision
- 2 On Human Nature, Social Norms, Co-Evolution, Natural Selection, and the Human Prospect
- 3 On the Role of Positive Law in Humankind's Evolution
- 4 On the Role of Religion in Humankind's Evolution
- PART TWO ON THE PLACE OF THE WEALTH OF NATIONS IN ADAM SMITH'S MORAL PHILOSOPHICAL VISION
- PART THREE ON ADAM SMITH'S MORAL PHILOSOPHICAL VISION AND THE MODERN DISCOURSE
- Epilogue: On the Human Prospect
- References
- Index
Summary
Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Albert EinsteinPhilosophy is the science of the connecting principles of nature. Nature, after the largest experience that common observation can acquire, seems to abound with events which appear solitary and incoherent with all that go before them, which therefore disturb the easy movement of the imagination … Philosophy, by representing the invisible chains which bind together all these disjointed objects, endeavours to introduce order into this chaos of jarring and discordant appearances, to allay the tumult of the imagination, and to restore it, when it surveys the great revolutions of the universe, to that tone of tranquility and composure, which is both most agreeable in itself, and most suitable to its nature. Philosophy, therefore, may be regarded as one of those arts which addresses themselves to the imagination….
Adam Smith “History of Astronomy”IMAGINATION, THE INVISIBLE HAND, AND PHILOSOPHY
Imagine that there is an order to the universe, an order that is the work of a deity as designer. Imagine further that somewhere beyond our sight that deity has a drafting table and on that table are the blueprints for that design. Those imagined blueprints are invisible to us, and so too the hand that drew them.
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- Chapter
- Information
- Adam Smith's Moral PhilosophyA Historical and Contemporary Perspective on Markets, Law, Ethics, and Culture, pp. 3 - 33Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2005