The Complete Collection including The Theory of Moral Sentiments/The Wealth of Nations

by Adam Smith

Adam Smith (5 June 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish moral philosopher and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is best known for two classic works: The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759), and The Wealth of Nations (1776).

The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759)

It provided the ethical, philosophical, psychological, and methodological underpinnings to Smith's later works, including The Wealth of Nations. Although Smith’s later work became popular, this was the foundation of his philosophies.

The Wealth of Nations (1776)

An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, generally referred to by its shortened title The Wealth of Nations, is the magnum opus of the Scottish economist and moral philosopher Adam Smith.The book offers one of the world's first collected descriptions of what builds nations' wealth and is today a fundamental work in classical economics. 

Genres: Economics, Philosophy

2054 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

For other authors of this name, see Adam Smith.

Adam Smith FRSA FRS FRSE was a Scottish philosopher and economist who was a pioneer in thinking on political economy and a key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. He wrote two classic works, The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759) and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776). The latter, often abbreviated as The Wealth of Nations , is considered his magnum opus and the first modern work that treats economics as a comprehensive system and as an academic discipline.

Authorities recorded his baptism on 16 June 1723 at Kirkcaldy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Smith

Reviews

[Ethan]

Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments: An exposition relying on common sense moral realism to explore why people maintain the moral frameworks and structures they do. Smith seems to rely heavily on the premise that sympathy/empathy is a primary driver for the kind of ways people behave.

That's a very short summary of a much longer and expansive presentation. Much of the time I was not quite really sure what I was reading. There's not much appeal to any other kind of authority other than what an 18th century Scotsman who traveled around the United Kingdom and France and heard some stories about America would accept based on his experience. In this respect the difference between the past and present proves quite vast; one comes to realize quickly how much of what we today accept and believe about people and their behaviors should have some kind of basis in psychiatry, sociology, and results from experiments and studies in those domains. Granted, neither existed in the middle of the 18th century, and so that's not exactly Smith's fault.

Thus, as a relic of a former age and part of the heritage upon which later belief systems were built, this volume has value. Just accepting his conclusions based on his premises would, however, prove woefully insufficient today.

Smith biography by Stewart: a good general introductory biography, providing helpful detail into the life of Adam Smith and motivations and purpose of his writings. It was composed by someone who knew him well and not terribly long after his death.

Smith biography by Rae: "thorough" would be an understatement. Written a little over a century after Smith's death, Rae included pretty much every detail known about Smith's life and travels, and every piece of correspondence of Smith and written to Smith which was preserved (or at least it felt like it), and all kinds of impressions of Smith by others as it details his life in extreme detail. So much detail, in fact, you end up learning a lot more about late 18th century Scotland (and London, and France) than you seem to do about Smith. A case of so much detail that it is hard to get a handle on what would be considered more important versus less important.