Posted: Apr 16, 2011 7:49 pm
by The Plc
As someone who has actually read both I'd say that the two thinkers were more similar than most people seem to assume. Reading Wealth of Nations is actually quite a shock when your preconception of Smith is based on the image constructed by right wing think tanks and such. Smith was strongly opposed to excessive concentration of capital for example, and worker inequity. It's particularly notable for it's examination of mercantilism and imperialism. He advocated what we would call today social democratic or democratic socialist policies, such poverty relief, better working standards, economic democracy, and iinterestingly secular education for children and adults, free from the 'mad enthusiasm' of the religious.

WoN is quite a tedious read at times though. The random discursive passages about coin shavings and the fact he never lays out a specific thesis in clear words means you require patience to get his real insights. I'll have to read Theory of Moral Sentiments one day when I need an Enlightenment kick.