Society as a moral order: Adam Smith's theory of sociability as a response to Mandeville and Rousseau

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Abstract

This paper aims to show that Smith’s theory of sympathy and the impartial spectator can be understood as an attempt to overcome the selfish anthropology advocated by Mandeville and denounced by Rousseau. In Smith’s view, if Mandeville’s theory of the psychology behind commerce and exchange was correct, then Rousseau would be right in his denunciation of the moral evils of civilization. However, for Smith, Mandeville’s theses were wrong, and thus Rousseau’s critiques were largely unfounded, because, quite paradoxically, they relied on Mandeville’s description of sociability. Therefore, the often emphasized sympathies of Smith for Rousseau’s arguments should be mitigated.

Keywords: Adam Smith, Sociability, Self-love, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Bernard Mandeville.

JEL Codes: B10, B11, B12.

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Published

2023-07-25

How to Cite

STERNICK, I. P. Society as a moral order: Adam Smith’s theory of sociability as a response to Mandeville and Rousseau. Nova Economia, [S. l.], v. 33, n. 1, p. 211–233, 2023. Disponível em: https://revistas.face.ufmg.br/index.php/novaeconomia/article/view/7560. Acesso em: 21 dec. 2024.

Issue

Vol. 33 No. 1 (2023): Revista Nova Economia

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Regular Issue

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Copyright (c) 2023 Ivan Prates Sternick

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