The argumentative structure of the Wealth of Nations

La estructura argumentativa de la Riqueza de las Naciones

Sergio Cremaschi ()
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Sergio Cremaschi: Università Amedeo Avogadro, Vercelli - Universidad de Málaga.

Iberian Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 2022, vol. 9, issue 2, 95-109

Abstract: The paper sheds fresh light on what Adam Smith was doing in writing the Wealth of Nations by looking at its place in his unaccomplished oeuvre. The Wealth of Nations is just a partial implementation of a part of his project: the history and theory of law and government. In this work, the ‘Socratic method†of persuasion and the “Newtonian method†of didactical discourse coexist with moral discourse. Such coexistence allows a smooth transition from (i) an argument aimed at persuading the public opinion of the advantage carried by non-aggressive commercial policies, high wages and provision of public goods by the public authority to (ii) a simplified reconstruction of economic mechanisms and tendencies through either conjectural history or ‘systems†, and (iii) an argument showing how all the oppressive inequality existent in modern societies is, besides deplorable on whatever moral standard, contrary to everybody’s interest.

Keywords: Adam Smith; Political economy; Rhetoric; Method.; Adam Smith; Economía política; Retórica; Método. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A12 B12 B31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ucm:ijohet:v:9:y:2022:i:2:p:95-109

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Dpto. Historia e Instituciones Económicas I. Facultad de CC. Económicas y Empresariales, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Campus de Somosaguas. E-28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid)

DOI: 10.5209/ijhe.83973

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