From: Dogan Goecmen (Dogangoecmen@AOL.COM)
Date: Sat Oct 21 2006 - 15:03:31 EDT
A short description of my forthcoming (December 2006) book by I. B. Tauris. Dogan About the book This is the first scholarly work to deal solely with the Adam Smith problem, namely the apparent contradiction between Adam Smith's most famous works, "The Theory of Moral Sentiments" and "The Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations". Since the 1840s scholars have puzzled over and attempted to explain the fact that these works offer two fundamentally different and contradictory concepts of human nature. In this radical new approach Do an Gocmen argues that there are, indeed, two different concepts of human nature; in "The Theory of Moral Sentiments", Smith advocates a broad synchronization of human intention and behaviour under a beneficent providence in a system of mutual sympathy, whereas "Wealth of Nations" is a critical account of the human situation of the individual and is an egoistic description of human beings in commercial society. Gocmen argues that Smith does indeed put forward two different and varied ideas, arguing that the ethical position articulated in "The Theory of Moral Sentiments" can be, and was intended by Smith to be, applied as a basis for criticising the commercial society analysed in the "Wealth of Nations".;Gocmen argues that this ethical position points to the character of its ideal future replacement, that of Adam Smith's Utopia. Gocmen therefore dismisses as short-sighted and oversimple the common assumption that Adam Smith's Utopia consists merely of 'the invisible hand', the idea that markets would regulate everything if left to their own dynamics. This book challenges the traditional approach to Adam Smith and is the first contribution to the solution of a long-standing debate, making it essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the moral philosophy, political economy and utopian thought of Adam Smith. In einer eMail vom 21.10.2006 20:35:14 Westeuropäische Sommerzeit schreibt sinha_a99@YAHOO.COM: --- Dogan Goecmen <Dogangoecmen@AOL.COM> wrote: > > Hi Ajit, thank you very much for your questions. > > By 'market in itself' I mean that we can develop an > objective understanding > of market independently from what all sorts of > ideologies say about and > ascribe to it. I mean the question we have to pose > is this: what is the nature of > market. Based on this objective grasp we can then > judge about these ideologies > whether they are right or wrong. Market is an > institution where humans get > in touch with one another for a certain purpose: > the exchange of commodities. > That is to say that human relations on market are > mediated by commodities - > either directly or indirectly by means of money. > So, the question what is the > nature of market changes into the question what is > the nature of commodity > and money.The analysis of commodity and money must > then be analysed in terms of > human relation because commodities are being > exchanged by human beings. > These questions are profoundly posed and analysed, > I think, in the first Chapter > of the Capital of Marx. This is my reply to your > two questions in short. > Thanks again. ______________________ Thanks for your reply. As you must know Adam Smith considered market as part of the sphere of free speech. When a buyer or a seller offers to buy or sell something at a price, he or she is simultaneously putting forward an argument to convince the other party of why it is in his or her advantage to buy or sell that commodity at that price. It is part of the whole enlightenment program. So I was expecting a little more on market than you have given and again to say that "These questions are profoundly posed and analysed, I think, in the first Chapter of the Capital of Marx." is not an answer to the question, why do you think that CAPITAL ch.1 has the best analysis of it? But I can see you have your plate full and you need not feel obliged to answer my questions. Cheers, ajit sinha __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
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