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Adam Smith in His Time and Ours Paperback – July 3, 1995

by Jerry Z. Muller (Author)

4.4 19 ratings

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Counter to the popular impression that Adam Smith was a champion of selfishness and greed, Jerry Muller shows that the Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations maintained that markets served to promote the well-being of the populace and that government must intervene to counteract the negative effects of the pursuit of self-interest. Smith's analysis went beyond economics to embrace a larger "civilizing project" designed to create a more decent society.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A profoundly erudite and timely study."---John Gray, National Review

"Muller's great accomplishment in this book is to present a clear, thoughtful, and engaging overview of Adam Smith's thought. He reveals Smith to be a wide-ranging and innovative thinker who formulated a comprehensive social science."---Peter McNamara, The Review of Politics

Review

"Jerry Muller has written an extraordinarily good book on the most quoted and least read of the worldly philosophers."―Robert Heilbroner, Author of The Worldly Philosophers

"A good work of intellectual history should exemplify two qualities above all: an imagination that allows the author to 'pass over' into the horizon of his subject in order to see the world as the subject sees it; and a sympathy such as to gain a feel for the world of the subject. . . . Like Adam Smith, his subject, intellectual historian Jerry Muller exemplifies these traits to an exceptional degree."―Michael Novak, First Things

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Princeton University Press; Reprint edition (July 3, 1995)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 263 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0691001618
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0691001616
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.72 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,252,348 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,302 in Theory of Economics
- #4,407 in Economic History (Books)

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4.4 19 ratings

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Jerry Z. Muller

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Jerry Z. Muller’s books, articles, and lecture courses are on the border between history, social science, philosophy, and public policy.

His most recent book, PROFESSOR OF APOCALYPSE: THE MANY LIVES OF JACOB TAUBES, was published by Princeton University Press in May, 2022.

His previous book, THE TYRANNY OF METRICS, was published by Princeton University Press in 2018 and has been translated into ten languages.

He is the author of five previous books, all available from Amazon.

His lecture series, “THINKING ABOUT CAPITALISM,” is available from The Great Courses.

An emeritus professor of history at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. he writes and lectures about a variety of historical and contemporary subjects, including capitalism; nationalism; conservatism; the history of social, political, economic, and religious thought; and modern German and Jewish history.

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Taylor A.

Eye-opening insights into the life and work of Adam Smith

Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2023

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For anyone interested in modern (late-stage) capitalism and how it interacts with government and societal institutions, this book is a real gem. Muller decries the blanket association of laissez-faire capitalism with Adam Smith's name utilizing a wealth of both primary and secondary sources, and through the historical lens of Smith's life and work.

At the end of the day, Smith was no more a laissez-faire capitalist than he was a socialist. But his words have been co-opted by far too many proponents of big-business believing him to have declared that all government interference in markets is decidedly "uncapitalist." On the contrary, Smith believed that government and social institutions should design their structures based on what's best for the public good. In fact, he believed basically everything we do as humans, businesses, and societies should be structured toward the public good, and he spent his life working to figure out what that looked like and how it would work. At the time, that may have meant relaxing restrictions on imports and letting the market "do its thing," but he would likely be rolling over in his grave if he heard his name being used to defend lax government policy that benefits large corporations at the expense of the people.

To truly apply Smith's social and economic genius to our modern systems, we'd be designing policy that works to strengthen communities and social ties, and brings more wealth to more people--even to the detriment of large businesses. And were Smith alive today, I believe he'd been leading the charge to do just that: to reign in the corporate greed and control at the expense of our communities that has defined late-stage capitalism writ large.

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Khannie

An exceptional book from an exceptional author.

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2014

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Placing Smith's economic thought within the context of his broader social science, Mr. Muller does a great service for those only familiar with "The Wealth of Nations." Although this book has immense value as a work of intellectual history, I was surprised how often Smith's moral and political reasoning provided useful insights for contemporary problems.

I cannot speak highly enough of this book. I do, however, fault Mr. Muller (or his publishing company) for neglecting to make it available on Kindle. Your work merits an audience Mr. Muller, it should be made available on as many platforms as possible!

5 people found this helpful

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Zvi Bodie

This is an excellent introduction to Adam Smith's ideas.

Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 1998

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I am sure that anyone interested in the history of ideas will enjoy reading this book for its clear exposition of Smith's ideas and their relevance to today's economic, social, and political issues. Muller has a scholar's mastery of Smith's writings as well as a broad knowledge of their intellectual antecedents. The style is jargon-free.

19 people found this helpful

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Rob Szarka

Puts Smith in Context

Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2009

Muller puts Smith in historical context and integrates his major works ( Wealth of Nations , Theory of Moral Sentiments , and Lectures on Jurisprudence , the latter surviving only in the form of student notes) to paint a complete picture of Smith as moral philosopher. Smith's philosophy is often mischaracterized as one in which "greed is good" and the market alone is sufficient to attain a civil and productive society. Muller goes far beyond this cartoonish version of Smith to place his appreciation for the market in its proper context and distinguish Smith from contemporaries such as Mandeville and Bentham.

Muller's analysis is well-developed, but his exposition is at times repetitive. The final chapter, in which he attempts to relate Smith's philosophy to contemporary society, is a bit of a throwaway; and Muller is on shakier ground discussing economics than ethics. On balance, though, this is a fascinating and useful book that any student of Adam Smith should own. Despite the book's age, even the twenty-page Guide to Further Reading remains valuable.

10 people found this helpful

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Max Hayes

Another Book on Smith

Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2002

This book is an uninspiring analysis of Smith's work. Nobody who has even a cursory knowledge of Smith's writings would be surprised by what Muller has to say. The basic point that Smith was not a philosopher of unbridled greed is unsurprising. It is not that the thesis of the book is wrong, but it is simply something that could have been said in an article or less. Obviously a lot of hard work went into the book, but it is the product of a mediocre mind.

6 people found this helpful

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