Adam Smith: The Wealth of Nations: An Introduction

·
· Springer Nature
Ebook
175
Pages
Ratings and reviews aren’t verified  Learn More

About this ebook

This textbook provides an accessible introduction to Adam Smith, one of the most important economic thinkers. His seminal work The Wealth of Nations is a classic text in philosophy, social sciences and economics. This introduction puts Smith’s central ideas on the division of labour, the invisible hand and the market into context. A careful analysis of key passages from Smith’s writings explains how he arrived at a theory of society and the market that has become central to our understanding of human motives. The discussion of Smith’s The Wealth of Nations is followed by sources from the 18th century that shaped Smith’s analysis of human motives and propensities. This introduction is indispensable reading for an informed discussion of the mechanisms that govern human society. It provides an introduction to Adam Smith as one of the most astute thinkers of the 18th century, whose ideas shape modern concepts of the market, making it ideal as course material in courses such as economics, history, political sciences, sociology, literary studies, philosophy.

About the author

Thomas Rommel is the former Rector and Provost of Bard College Berlin, A Liberal Arts University, and served as Director of Programs at the American Academy in Berlin. He received his doctorate and Habilitation in Literary Studies at the University of Tübingen and was Professor of Literature at Jacobs University Bremen. His research interests include 18th-century thought with an emphasis on literature and economics, Romanticism and Liberal Arts education. He has written books on Lord Byron, on 18th-century literature and the history of ideas and an introduction to Adam Smith. His other books deal with plagiarism, canonical literature and methods in literary studies. He is Visiting Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in the Centre for Literary & Intermedial Crossings CLIC Research Group.

Helen Winter studied economics and Anglo-American regional studies at the University of Tübingen, Germany, and at Leeds University, UK. She worked in a project funded by the German Science Foundation (DFG) on global economics. Her Ph.D. thesis on industrial and trade policies of the EU was published as a book in 1994. Helen Winter taught economics at university level and published on Adam Smith. Having worked for the German Ministry of Economics she spent a year as economic advisor to the Permanent Mission of Germany at the United Nations in New York. She served as Head of Division G8/G20 Sherpa Office and was Deputy Director General “National and International Economic Policy” in the German Federal Chancellery. Helen Winter is Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany to the European Union in Brussels.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.