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Is A Beautiful System Dying? A Possible Smithian Take On The Financial Crisis And Its Aftermath, Maria Pia Paganelli

Economics Faculty Research

Adam Smith is not an optimistic describer of a providential order moved by an always-successful invisible hand. I present some of the more pessimistic analysis of Smith, which, unfortunately, seems to be most appropriate to describe and analyze our current affairs. This reading of Smith may provide an explanation for the events started in the fall of 2008.

The ‘beautiful system of natural liberty’ that Smith describes is a system that may be achieved only under rare circumstances. Smith recognizes systematic biases in human behaviours, ranging from overestimation of probability of success to almost blind admiration for the rich. He …