In addressing the nature and causes of the wealth of nations, Adam Smith made one of the most potent contributions to subsequent ideological history. In the west since the early nineteenth century he has been the patron saint of homo economicus. More recently, successive British governments have invoked his policy recommendations of free trade and laissez-faire to aid their extension of privatization and market effectiveness into areas such asnhealth and education.nSmith, however, not only viewed merchants and manufacturers with deep suspicion, but also tempered his celebration of a self-regulating market with a darker vision of the dehumanizing potential of a profit-oriented society. He did not write an economics textbook, but rather a panoramic narrative about the struggle for individual liberty and general prosperity in history, a subject he shared with other writers of the Enlightenment.
This edition contains generous selections from all five volumes of The Wealth of Nations, and places Smith's inquiry into its historical, intellectual, and cultural context.nABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
the selection of material is judicious and the commentary brilliant and entertaining Mark Davis, Professor of Mathematics, Imperial College London
Kathryn Sutherland is the editor of Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations and Austen-Leigh's Memoir of Jane Austen and Other Family Recollections for Oxford World's Classics. She has published widely on fictional and non-fictional writings of the Scottish Enlightenment and Romantic periods. She is the author of Jane Austen's Textual Lives: From Aeschylus to Bollywood.
Klappentext
While it has been pointed to time and again by governments and pundits promoting laissez-faire economics, the Wealth of Nations actually shows that Adam Smith viewed capitalism with a deep suspicion, and tempered his celebration of a self-regulating market with a darker vision of the dehumanizing potential of a profit-oriented society. Smith did not write an economics textbook, but rather a panoramic narrative about the struggle for individual liberty and general prosperity in history. This edition includes generous selections from all five books of the Wealth of Nations. It also provides full notes and a commentary that places Smith's work within a rich interdisciplinary context.
