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11 - Adam Smith

Stoic and Epicurean

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 September 2023

Paul Sagar
Affiliation:
King's College London
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Summary

In this chapter I argue that Adam Smith’s moral, social and economic thought was influenced by both Stoic and Epicurean sources with surprising and fruitful results. Although these schools of thought conflicted in most respects, Smith adopted and adapted elements from each to creatively construct a kind of ‘benign-realist’ social science able to explain the order of the human universe while comprehending humans as they really were rather than as we might wish them to be. By combining the Stoic idea that all of nature is both divine and benign with a pragmatic Epicurean moral psychology, Smith not only reconciles his own realist intuitions with his sincere faith in a designed universe, but produces a compelling account of how economies and societies should operate. I show this by exploring how Smith responded to the Stoic and Epicurean approaches to virtue, self-interest, benevolence, justice and our obligations to others, especially strangers and foreigners. I also explore how he applied an Epicurean sensibility to reimagine Stoic cosmopolitanism.

Type
Chapter
Information
Interpreting Adam Smith
Critical Essays
, pp. 177 - 193
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • Adam Smith
  • Edited by Paul Sagar, King's College London
  • Book: Interpreting Adam Smith
  • Online publication: 14 September 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009296335.012
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  • Adam Smith
  • Edited by Paul Sagar, King's College London
  • Book: Interpreting Adam Smith
  • Online publication: 14 September 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009296335.012
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Adam Smith
  • Edited by Paul Sagar, King's College London
  • Book: Interpreting Adam Smith
  • Online publication: 14 September 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009296335.012
Available formats
×