📗 Libro en inglés ADAM SMITH

In 1776 Adam Smith 1723 90 wrote The Wealth of Nations a book so foundational it has led to him being called the father of economics Today he is associated with the promotion of self interest a defence of greed and a criticism of any governmental interference in market transactions which if left to the invisible hand will produce prosperity and liberty Yet if Smith is actually read these associations are more a caricature than a faithful portrait In this Very Short Introduction Christopher Berry offers a balanced and nuanced view of this seminal thinker embedding his fierce defence of free trade competition and assault on special interests in contemporary European history politics and philosophy As Berry explores Smith was far more than an economist His book The Theory of Moral Sentiment offered a complex account of ethics in the context of human social behaviour His scope as a professor at the University of Glasgow a major centre of the Scottish Enlightenment was extensive Beyond courses in philosophy and jurisprudence he also gave classes covering history literature and language In addition to his two major works he also wrote a pioneering study of the history of astronomy as an illustration of the motivations that drive humans