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Fall 2014

ISSN 0890-913X

Volume 29, Number 3

Categories: Fall 2014 | Economic Systems

Adam Smith, Politics, and Natural Liberty

Paul D. Mueller, The King's College, Manhattan

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TheJournalofPrivateEnterprise29(3),2014,119–134AdamSmith,Politics,andNaturalLibertyPaulD.MuellerGeorgeMasonUniversity______________________________________________________AbstractOverthepastfortyyearsseveralscholarshaveclaimedthatAdamSmiththoughtgovernmentinterventionwasagoodandnaturalaspectofcivilsociety.TheyarguethatSmithoftenportrayspoliticiansandgovernmentinterventionasbeingbenevolent.ButtherearemanymorepassagesfromSmith’smajorworks,TheTheoryofMoralSentimentsandAnInquiryIntotheNatureandCausesoftheWealthofNations,thatsuggestthathedidnotviewgovernmentactorsorgovernmentinterventionasbeingparticularlybenevolent.Instead,Smiththoughtthatgovernmentlaws,onthewhole,wereatbestanecessaryevilbecausetheyencroacheduponhisidealofthe“obviousandsimplesystemofnaturalliberty.”______________________________________________________JELCodes:H10,N0,D72Keywords:AdamSmith,Naturalliberty,Faction,Fanaticism,Politics,LaissezfaireI.IntroductionAtensionexistsinbothAnInquiryintotheNatureandCausesoftheWealthofNations(Smith1776)andTheTheoryofMoralSentiments(Smith1759)betweentwoimportant,yetcontradictory,themes.IntheWealthofNations,Smithfrequentlycriticizesgovernmentinterventionbecauseitpreventsself-interestedindividualsfromcoordinatingthemselvesastheyare“ledbyaninvisiblehand”(Smith1776,p.456).Hearguesinfavorofthe“obviousandsimplesystemofnaturalliberty”and“theinviolablesacredrightofproperty”(Smith1776,pp.687,138).Yet,asmanyscholarshavepointedout,inthesamebookSmithclaimsthatgovernmentinterventioncanimprovethemarketbyrestrainingtheexcessesofprivategreedandacquisitiveness(Viner1927;Rothschild2001;Brubaker2006;Kennedy2005,2008).SimilartensionbetweenhisadvocacyoflibertyandhisexceptionstolibertycanbefoundinTheTheoryofMoralSentiments.Scholarshavetakenthistensionintwodifferentdirections.119

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Metadata [hide]

Title	Adam Smith, Politics, and Natural Liberty
Authors/Creators:	Paul D. Mueller, The King's College, Manhattan
Year:	2014
Volume:	29
Number:	3
Pages:	119 - 134
Publisher:	The Association of Private Enterprise Education
ISSN:	0890-913X
Document Type:	Articles
Keywords:	Adam Smith, Natural liberty, Faction, Fanaticism, Politics, Laissez faire

Citation:
Mueller, Paul D. / 2014. "Adam Smith, Politics, and Natural Liberty ." The Journal of Private Enterprise, 29(3): 119-134.