Adam Smith and the circles of sympathy
Subtitle: cosmopolitanism and moral theory
By: Fonna Forman-Barzilai.
Series: Ideas in context -- 96
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Cambridge; New York
Language: eng
ISBN-13: 9780521761123
Subjects: Smith, Adam, -- 1723-1790; Ethics -- History -- 18th century; Cosmopolitanism -- History -- 18th century
Description: "Adam Smith and the Circles of Sympathy pursues Adam Smith's views on moral judgement, humanitarian care, commerce, justice and international law both in historical context and through a twenty-first century cosmopolitan lens, making this a major and timely contribution not only to Smith studies but also to the history of cosmopolitan thought and to contemporary cosmopolitan discourse itself. Forman-Barzilai breaks new ground, demonstrating the spatial texture of Smith's moral psychology and the ways he believed that physical, affective and cultural distance constrain the identities, connections and ethical obligations of modern commercial people. Forman-Barzilai emphasises his resistance to the sort of relativism, moral insularity and cultural chauvinism that too often accompany localist critiques of cosmopolitan thought today. This is a timely, revisionist study that integrates the perspectives of intellectual history, moral philosophy, political theory, cultural theory, international relations theory and political economy, and will appeal across the humanities and social sciences"--Provided by publisher.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: Introduction: Smith's oikeiosis; Part I. The Circle of the Self: 1. Conflicted self; 2. Sympathetic self; Part II. The Circle of Society: 3. Discipline and the socialized conscience; 4. Perfectionism and social order; Part III. The Circle of Humanity: 5. Sympathy in space: Section A. Physical immediacy; Section B. Affective 'connexion'; Section C. Historical familiarity; 6. The commercial cosmopolis; 7. Negative justice; Conclusion: Cultural pluralism, moral goods, and the 'laws of nations'.