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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Scottish Enlightenment And Public Governance Of The Economic System, Maria Pia Paganelli
Scottish Enlightenment And Public Governance Of The Economic System, Maria Pia Paganelli
Economics Faculty Research
This paper questions the idea that natural, in the natural system of liberty Adam Smith describes, means inevitable, normal, or perfect. For Smith, what is natural in a natural system that governs the economy seems to be a normative prescription.
The Moralizing Distance In Adam Smith: The Theory Of Moral Sentiments As Possible Praise Of Commerce, Maria Pia Paganelli
The Moralizing Distance In Adam Smith: The Theory Of Moral Sentiments As Possible Praise Of Commerce, Maria Pia Paganelli
Economics Faculty Research
The Theory of Moral Sentiments can be read as a book praising commerce. In The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Adam Smith claims that viewing oneself from a distance decreases the natural tendency toward self-deception and increases the propriety of one’s behavior. In front of strangers and distant acquaintances, an individual would generally restrain the more self-indulgent and excessive passions and be more composed than in front of family and close friends. Frequent exposure to strangers fosters the habit of propriety - the base of moral behavior. Commerce enlarges one’s opportunities to interact with strangers and introduces distance in interpersonal relationships. …