BIBLIOGRAPHY- Smith as Philosopher
1) Raphael, D.D., 2007. The Impartial Spectator. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Raphel provides an interpretation of all aspects of Smith’s moral philosophy, beginning with his account of sympathy and approbation before moving on to offer original readings of Smith’s impartial spectator theory of conscience as well as his accounts of virtue and moral rules.
2) Hanley, Ryan Patrick., 2009. Adam Smith and the Character of Virtue. New York: Cambridge.
Hanley examines part VI of TMS, “Of the Character of Virtue,” added to the final 1790 edition of the book. Hanley argues that, far from being a half-baked afterthought, as it is sometimes taken to be, part VI represents a powerful attempt to synthesize classical and Christian traditions in virtue ethics, all with an eye towards defending the continued relevance of these virtues to the changing landscape of early modern commercial society.
3) Griswold, Charles L., 1999. Jr. Adam Smith and the Virtues of Enlightenment. Cambridge: Cambridge.
An important study that examines nearly all aspects of Smith’s philosophy, with especially notable discussions of Smith’s theories of sympathy, the impartial spectator, justice, rhetoric and aesthetics. Griswold examines Smith’s thought with an eye towards contemporary debates regarding the Enlightenment and its legacy, making a convincing case that, more than two centuries after his death, Smith still has much to teach us.
4) Fleischacker, Samuel, 2004. On Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations: A Philosophical Companion, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
A philosophical commentary on Smith’s masterwork of political economy, including chapters on Smith’s views on methodology in social science, vanity, justice and politics. Fleischacker is especially keen to emphasize the often-neglected egalitarianism themes in Smith’ work.
5) Skinner, Andrew, 1996. A System of Social Science: Papers Related to Adam Smith (Second Edition), Oxford: Oxford University Press.
In a series of connected essays, Skinner develops an integrated interpretation of Smith’s philosophical system, emphasizing the extent to which Smith’s influential work in political economy, conjectural history and moral philosophy is grounded in the general principles propounded in his (less well-known) philosophy of science.
6) Winch, Donald, 1978. Adam Smith’s Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Winch offers a contextualist reading of Smith’s political philosophy, demonstrating the manner in which Smith developed his general principles of government and justice partly in response to the practical politics of his day.
7) Fleischacker, Samuel. 1999, A Third Concept of Liberty: Judgment and Freedom in Kant and Adam Smith, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Fleischacker offers an interpretation of Smith’s theory of judgment, propounded in both TMS and WN, as it applies to the sphere of politics. In doing so, Fleischacker brings Smith’s philosophy into dialogue with more familiar thinkers like Aristotle and Kant, while also demonstrating the relevance of Smith’s views to debates in contemporary moral and political philosophy.
8) Vivenza, Gloria (2002) Adam Smith and the Classics: The Classical Heritage in Adam Smith’s Thought, Oxford.
Vivenza examines the wide variety of ways in which Smith’s thought is rooted in his deep engagement with the classical thinkers of Greco-Roman antiquity. Vivenza traces the classical background not only of Smith’s moral and jurisprudential thinking, but also his natural philosophy, political economy and writings on rhetoric.
9) Schliesser, Eric, 2017, Adam Smith: Systematic Philosopher and Public Thinker, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Schliesser presents an imaginative interpretation of Smith as a systematic thinker who uses his philosophical system to engage questions of public import. Schliesser’s book is unique in giving extensive attention to Smith’s philosophy of the natural and social sciences. Among the most original features of Schliesser’s interpretation include a “counterfactual” analysis of Smith’s theory of sympathy and an anti-empiricist reading of Smith’s epistemology.
10) Smith, Craig, 2006, Adam Smith’s Political Philosophy, London: Routledge.
Craig Smith’s examines Smith’s political philosophy in light of his influential discussion of the “invisible hand” and his related emphasis on the importance of unintended consequences to human affairs. Craig Smith traces the reverberations of Smith’s ideas in the theories of “spontaneous order” advanced by twentieth century thinkers like Hayek and Popper.
11) Otteson, James, 2002, Adam Smith’s Marketplace of Life, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Otterson offers an examination of Smith’s moral philosophy in an effort to tackle the notorious “Adam Smith problem” regarding the apparent incompatibility between Smith’s two major published works. Otteson makes a strong case that this problem falls apart upon closer inspection, by drawing attention to the numerous ways in which Smith’s moral theory connects with his economic and political writings.
12) Essays on Adam Smith, Andrew S. Skinner and Thomas Wilson, eds. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1975.
A seminal collection of essays that covers a wide range of topics in Smith’s thought, including a number of essays on nearly every aspect of Smith’s philosophy.
13) Fleischacker, Samuel, "Adam Smith's Moral and Political Philosophy", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Edward N. Zalta (Spring 2017 Edition), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2017/entries/smith-moral-political/>.
This online encyclopedia entry provides a useful overview of the major themes of Smith’s moral and political philosophy while also introducing some of the major scholarly controversies regarding Smith’s thought.
14) Hankins, Keith, 2016, “Adam Smith’s Intriguing Solution to the Problem of Moral Luck,” Ethics, 126 (3): 711–746.
Hankins offers a sophisticated close-reading of TMS book II, section iii, focusing on the largely neglected account of moral luck that Smith develops in this passage. Hankins’ careful reconstruction shows that Smith presents a sophisticated theory of moral luck, as well as a fascinating account of the role that irregular and ‘pathological’ features of our psychology can play in promoting social harmony.
15) Hont, Istvan, and Michael Ignatieff. 1983. “Needs and Justice in the Wealth of Nations: An introductory Essay,” in Hont and Ignatieff, eds., Wealth and Virtue. The Shaping of Political Economy in the Scottish Enlightenment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
In this influential paper, Hont and Ignatieff argue that a central concern of Smith’s major treatise in political economy is the promotion of justice. In particular, Hont and Ignatieff claim that Smith’s goal was to promote a political and economic order in which inequalities in property holdings could be reconciled with adequate provisions for the poorest members of society. Hont and Ignatieff suggest that many central features of Smith’s economic thought, including his attack on mercantilism and his advocacy of a “night watchman” state, should be understood as emanating from this concern. Hont and Ignatieff also traces the philosophical background of Smith’s views on justice in the jurisprudential writings of Grotius, Pufendorf and Locke.
16) Hont, Istvan. 2009. “Adam Smith’s History of Law and Government as Political Theory,” in R. Bourke and R. Geuss (eds), Political Judgement: Essays for John Dunn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Through a close reading of Smith’s Glasgow lectures, as well as corresponding passages in WN, Hont argues that Smith deserves to be celebrated a major political theorist. On Hont’s reading, Smith’s political theory proceeds by examining the historical evolution of particular structures of authority in an effort to understand how different forms of government have maintained their authority under changing historical circumstances. Hont argues that, by offering this historicist approach to thinking about political legitimacy, Smith provides a sophisticated alternative to the Lockean/Hobbesian models of legitimacy that have dominated discussions of early modern political philosophy.