Adam Smith in His Time and Ours

Download or read book Adam Smith in His Time and Ours written by Jerry Z. Muller and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 1995-07-23 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Counter to the popular impression that Adam Smith was a champion of selfishness and greed, Jerry Muller shows that the Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations maintained that markets served to promote the well-being of the populace and that government must intervene to counteract the negative effects of the pursuit of self-interest. Smith's analysis went beyond economics to embrace a larger "civilizing project" designed to create a more decent society.