Sign-In
Cart
Adam Smith: What you really need to know: Discover how Adam Smith established a demanding vision of living together, where growth must serve the most
Paperback
EconomicsGeneral Political Science
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: May 25 2025
Pages: 272
Weight: 0.73
Height: 0.68 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Enter the nuanced, surprising, and deeply human world of Adam Smith, the Scottish Enlightenment thinker who is often, mistakenly, reduced to a single formula: the invisible hand. This book invites you to rediscover, far from ideological simplifications, a rich body of work that questions morality, economics, social justice, and how societies hold together. Smith is not just the author of The Wealth of Nations: he is also a subtle moralist, a lucid observer of human passions, and a political philosopher engaged in the search for a just order.
Through an accessible yet demanding narrative, this book guides you through Smith's major insights, from his youth in Kirkcaldy to his encounters with David Hume, Quesnay, and Turgot. It explores the rare coherence of a mind that never separates economics from morality, nor self-interest from concern for the common good. An essential book to understand why, in 2025, rereading Adam Smith is both an intellectual and a political act.
What you will find in this book:
A life dedicated to thought
From provincial Scotland to Parisian salons, via Oxford and Glasgow, discover the journey of a discreet but deeply committed man, trained under Francis Hutcheson and influenced by the great figures of the Enlightenment. His friendship with David Hume, his encounters with the physiocrats, and his slow intellectual maturation reveal a cautious but visionary thinker.
A morality based on sympathy and judgment
Before being an economist, Smith is a moral philosopher. The Theory of Moral Sentiments develops the foundational idea of sympathy and the impartial spectator: we judge our actions through the eyes of others. A social, dynamic morality, deeply rooted in human relationships, far from abstract principles.
Economics as a moral, not technical, science
In The Wealth of Nations, Smith does not build a cold economic system: he seeks to understand how society can grow without becoming corrupted. He rejects mercantile cynicism, advocates for a minimum of social justice, and sees economics as a branch of moral philosophy, serving stability and the common good.
The invisible hand: myth, metaphor, misunderstanding
Famous but often misunderstood, the invisible hand is not a celebration of an unrestrained market. This chapter revisits its true meanings and the misinterpretations by neoliberal supporters, from Friedman to Hayek.
The division of labor: between efficiency and alienation
From the example of the pin factory to the analysis of the social effects of industrialization, Smith offers a pioneering reflection on the link between productivity, specialization, and the intellectual impoverishment of workers.
The role of the State: neither all-powerful nor absent
Smith identifies three essential functions for the state: defense, justice, and infrastructure. He supports public education, monopoly regulation, and criticizes ultra-liberal interpretations of his work. For him, the state is the guarantor of a just order.
Commerce, freedom, and peace
Smith sees commerce as a factor of civilization and peace between nations. He criticizes economic nationalism and mercantilism, while calling for a progressive and enlightened liberalization that respects societies.
In a time of social and environmental crises, Smith's thought offers powerful tools for rethinking the economy as a means to serve living together. This book will help you connect morality, economics, and justice from a global, rigorous, and human perspective.
Also from
Veyrat, Olivier
Also in
General Political Science
Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea
Hunt-Hendrix, Leah
Taylor, Astra
Hardcover
Capitalism and the Camera: Essays on Photography and Extraction
Coleman, Kevin
James, Daniel
Paperback
The Craftivist Collective Handbook: Projects, Stories and Methods for Your Gentle Protests
Corbett, Sarah P.
Hardcover
Guerrilleros and Neighbours in Arms: Identities & Cultures of Anti-Fascist Resistance in Spain
Marco
Paperback
Battling the Big Lie: How Fox, Facebook, and the Maga Media Are Destroying America
Pfeiffer, Dan
Hardcover
Urban Revolutions: Urbanisation and (Neo-)Colonialism in Transatlantic Context
Kipfer, Stefan
Paperback
Disciplining the Poor: Neoliberal Paternalism and the Persistent Power of Race
Schram, Sanford F.
Soss, Joe
Fording, Richard C.
Paperback
Making America's Public Lands: The Contested History of Conservation on Federal Lands
Sowards, Adam M.
Hardcover
Nonstate Warfare: The Military Methods of Guerillas, Warlords, and Militias
Biddle, Stephen
Hardcover
By the Light of Burning Dreams: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the Second American Revolution
Talbot, Margaret
Talbot, David
Hardcover
Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power
Chomsky, Noam
Paperback
An Enemy Such as This: Larry Casuse and the Fight for Native Liberation in One Family on Two Continents Over Three Centuries
Correia, David
Hardcover
Turning the Tide: U.S. Intervention in Central America and the Struggle for Peace
Chomsky, Noam
Paperback
Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism
Wolin, Sheldon S.
Paperback
The Persuaders: At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds, and Democracy
Giridharadas, Anand
Hardcover
Grassroots Rising: A Call to Action on Climate, Farming, Food, and a Green New Deal
Cummins, Ronnie
Paperback
Everyday Life and Politics in Nineteenth Century Mexico: Men, Women, and War
Wasserman, Mark
Paperback
Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military
Lang, Avis
Degrasse Tyson, Neil
Hardcover
Broken News: Why the Media Rage Machine Divides America and How to Fight Back
Stirewalt, Chris
Paperback
With Liberty and Justice for Some: How the Law Is Used to Destroy Equality and Protect the Powerful
Greenwald, Glenn
Hardcover
Towards Collective Liberation: Anti-Racist Organizing, Feminist Praxis, and Movement Building Strategy
Crass, Chris
Paperback
Doing History from the Bottom Up: On E.P. Thompson, Howard Zinn, and Rebuilding the Labor Movement from Below
Lynd, Staughton
Paperback
China Wakes: The Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power
Kristof, Nicholas D.
Wudunn, Sheryl
Paperback
The Clash of Globalizations: Neo-Liberalism, the Third Way and Anti-Globalization
Kiely, Ray
Paperback
Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump
Swan, Jonathan
Haberman, Maggie
Hardcover
The College Scam: How America's Universities Are Bankrupting and Brainwashing Away the Future of America's Youth
Kirk, Charlie
Hardcover
Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person's Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds
Fugelsang, John
Hardcover
The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader
Murray, Melissa
Hardcover
American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union: An Anthology
Meacham, Jon
Hardcover
The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017
Khalidi, Rashid
Paperback
Into the Wood Chipper: A Whistleblower's Account of How the Trump Administration Shredded Usaid
Enrich, Nicholas
Hardcover
The Crooked Places Made Straight: Reflections on the Moral Meaning of America
Warnock, Raphael G.
Hardcover
The Invisible Coup: How American Elites and Foreign Powers Use Immigration as a Weapon
Schweizer, Peter
Hardcover
The Elijah Mandate: A Call to Courageous Faith in a Hostile World
Tsarfati, Amir
Piflaks, Tolik
Paperback
The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People's Constitution
Wegman, Jesse
Hardcover
Last Branch Standing: A Potentially Surprising, Occasionally Witty Journey Inside Today's Supreme Court
Isgur, Sarah
Hardcover
Live Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made
Kobes Du Mez, Kristin
Hardcover
If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All
Soares, Nate
Yudkowsky, Eliezer
Hardcover
The Jakarta Method: Washington's Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program That Shaped Our World
Bevins, Vincent
Paperback
There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
Goldstone, Brian
Paperback
Country of Lords: Neo-Aristocrats, Social Darwinists, Tech Utopians, and the Long Fight Against Equality in America
Phillips-Fein, Kim
Hardcover
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times: How to Reclaim Your Power, Fight for Freedom, and Reimagine Democracy
Perryman, Skye
Paperback
American Scoundrel: Roy Cohn's Dark Journey from Joe McCarthy to Donald Trump
Bird, Kai
Goldmark, Susan
Hardcover
There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
Goldstone, Brian
Hardcover
Fear and Fury: The Reagan Eighties, the Bernie Goetz Shootings, and the Rebirth of White Rage
Thompson, Heather Ann
Hardcover
The Origins of Totalitarianism: With a New Introduction by Anne Applebaum
Applebaum, Anne
Arendt, Hannah
Paperback
Alito: The Justice Who Reshaped the Supreme Court and Restored the Constitution
Hemingway, Mollie
Hardcover