Adam Smith and the Classics: The Classical Heritage in Adam Smith's Thought

Vivenza, Gloria

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0198296665 ISBN 13: 9780198296669

Casa editrice: OUP Oxford, 2001

Adam Smith and the Classics analyses the influence of classical culture―-the work of Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, and the Stoics―-on Adam Smith's thought. Vivenza bases her arguments on elements of Smith's work that can be shown to be precise reflections of passages from the classical authors, and on Smith's own acknowledgements that he was so influenced. The bulk of the classical nuances occur in Smith's moral and natural philosophy, but Vivenza also shows that the classics had some impact on his economic thought.

The book represents a complete survey of all Adam Smith's writings, and is organized by arguments: natural philosophy, moral philosophy, jurisprudence, topics of economic interest, and literature. A further chapter discusses the very recent consensus among a number of scholars that Smith's writings display strong elements of Stoicism.

Adam Smith and the Classics is a significant book, since it shows just how strong an impression the classical training had on the intellectual elite of the eighteenth century. So much so that the classics have left their mark on the scholarship and writings of the time.

Recensione:

This book would be of interest both to scholars of British philosophy of the eighteenth century and to those of ancient philosophy. All who make a special study of Adam Smith should certainly read it. (British Journal for the History of Philosophy)

Few scholars have, as yet, paid close attention to Smith's lectures on jurisprudence, and for this reason Vivenza's chapter on jurisprudence and Roman law is particularly valuable. As elsewhere, she is remarkably well informed on all the relevant literature, and she has also brought her own knowledge of the ancient world to bear fruitfully on her reflections. (British Journal for the History of Philosophy)

Most welcome ... her [Smith's] observations are often original and instructive ... Vivenza's discussion of the relevance of classical expressions of Stoicism is far and away superior to that of any other commentator. (British Journal for the History of Philosophy)

The book holds up well as an expert exercise in tracing sources, influence and filiation ... Vivenza's scholarly and carefully detailed account of the intricate weave of classical influences within Smith's thought is an achievement. (Political Studies)

L'autore:

Gloria Vivenza is Professor in the History of Economic Thought at the University of Verona. She has previously held the positions of Professor of Economic History at the University of Catania and Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University.