Defending free trade after physiocracy: On Dugald Stewart's architectonic of passions, reason and Providence

Thomas Ruellou

The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 2017, vol. 24, issue 4, 742-783

Abstract: Dugald Stewart (1753–1828) defended free trade in light of a providential account of Nature, according to which there would be an “identity of interests” (Halévy 1901–1904). He thereby tried to rid economic thought of references to conflicts and thus pursued the physiocrats’ programme rather than Adam Smith's. In fact, Stewart claimed that (i) self-love depends on an accommodation to Providence, by which individuals restrain their passions; (ii) self-love fosters actions that lead to a direct increase of public happiness; (iii) the perfectibility of mind allows to dismiss “legal despotism”, which can be replaced by religious education.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1080/09672567.2017.1334077

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