Adam Smith’s Methodology: Imagination, Rhetoric, and Rene Descartes (Routledge Studies in the History of Economics) - Hardcover
Synopsis
Most previous studies of Adam Smith’s methodology, with a few exceptions, have placed considerable emphasis on the undeniable influence of Newtonian physics and Humean empiricism.
This book argues that other sources are at least as important: Smith’s own didactic rhetoric and the methodological writings of René Descartes. Smith began his public life in 1748, lecturing on rhetoric in Edinburgh. During this time he also wrote a history of astronomy, tracing its development from the age of mythical thought to Descartes (later incorporating Newton’s ideas). In his History of Astronomy, he was less concerned with the truth value of theories than with their ability to quiet the human imagination by systematically combining numerous phenomena under a few unifying principles. In his lectures on rhetoric, he considered this approach to be the best method of didactic exposition. In both cases, he attached the greatest importance to one of the authors he cited most often between 1748 and 1763, Descartes. As such, Descartes and rhetoric were central to the young Smith’s thinking prior to the publication of The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Consequently, any methodological examination of Smith’s published works must be framed as a question of didactic exposition seen through a Cartesian lens.
This book will appeal particularly to historians of philosophy and economic theory, as well as to scholars of Adam Smith’s life and work.
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About the Author
Jorge López Lloret is professor of Aesthetics and Arts Theory at the University of Seville (Spain). He is specialized in the philosophy and aesthetics of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, especially the French and Scottish Enlightenment. He has published articles on Adam Smith, René Descartes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Denis Diderot, Francis Hutcheson, David Hume, Alexander von Humboldt, and Charles Darwin. He has also translated into Spanish and critically edited Smith’s Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres and Considerations Concerning the First Formation of Languages, from which the present investigation has emerged.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
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Adam Smiths Methodology (Hardcover)
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ISBN 10: 1041100779
ISBN 13: 9781041100775
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Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. Most previous studies of Adam Smiths methodology, with a few exceptions, have placed considerable emphasis on the undeniable influence of Newtonian physics and Humean empiricism.This book argues that other sources are at least as important: Smiths own didactic rhetoric and the methodological writings of Rene Descartes. Smith began his public life in 1748, lecturing on rhetoric in Edinburgh. During this time he also wrote a history of astronomy, tracing its development from the age of mythical thought to Descartes (later incorporating Newtons ideas). In his History of Astronomy, he was less concerned with the truth value of theories than with their ability to quiet the human imagination by systematically combining numerous phenomena under a few unifying principles. In his lectures on rhetoric, he considered this approach to be the best method of didactic exposition. In both cases, he attached the greatest importance to one of the authors he cited most often between 1748 and 1763, Descartes. As such, Descartes and rhetoric were central to the young Smiths thinking prior to the publication of The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Consequently, any methodological examination of Smiths published works must be framed as a question of didactic exposition seen through a Cartesian lens.This book will appeal particularly to historians of philosophy and economic theory, as well as to scholars of Adam Smiths life and work. Most previous studies of Adam Smiths methodology, with a few exceptions, have placed considerable emphasis on the undeniable influence of Newtonian physics and Humean empiricism. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781041100775
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Adam Smiths Methodology (Hardcover)
Published by
Taylor & Francis Ltd, London, 2026
ISBN 10: 1041100779
ISBN 13: 9781041100775
New
Hardcover
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Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. Most previous studies of Adam Smiths methodology, with a few exceptions, have placed considerable emphasis on the undeniable influence of Newtonian physics and Humean empiricism.This book argues that other sources are at least as important: Smiths own didactic rhetoric and the methodological writings of Rene Descartes. Smith began his public life in 1748, lecturing on rhetoric in Edinburgh. During this time he also wrote a history of astronomy, tracing its development from the age of mythical thought to Descartes (later incorporating Newtons ideas). In his History of Astronomy, he was less concerned with the truth value of theories than with their ability to quiet the human imagination by systematically combining numerous phenomena under a few unifying principles. In his lectures on rhetoric, he considered this approach to be the best method of didactic exposition. In both cases, he attached the greatest importance to one of the authors he cited most often between 1748 and 1763, Descartes. As such, Descartes and rhetoric were central to the young Smiths thinking prior to the publication of The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Consequently, any methodological examination of Smiths published works must be framed as a question of didactic exposition seen through a Cartesian lens.This book will appeal particularly to historians of philosophy and economic theory, as well as to scholars of Adam Smiths life and work. Most previous studies of Adam Smiths methodology, with a few exceptions, have placed considerable emphasis on the undeniable influence of Newtonian physics and Humean empiricism. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781041100775
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