AnyBook4Less.com	Find the Best Price on the Web Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Home  |  Store List  |  FAQ  |  Contact Us  |
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money Keyword AuthorISBN

Title: Who's Afraid of Adam Smith? How the Market Got Its Soul by Peter J. Dougherty ISBN: 0-471-18477-2 Publisher: Wiley Pub. Date: 16 August, 2002 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $29.95

Your Country USA Canada United Kingdom Australia Austria Belgium France Germany Italy Netherlands Switzerland Currency AutoUSD CAD GBP EUR AUD CHF Delivery Only cheapest delivery All delivery options Include Used Books Are you a club member of: Barnes and Noble Books A Million Chapters.Indigo.ca

Average Customer Rating: 3.4 (5 reviews)

Rating: 3
Summary: How Dougherty Wrote His Book?:How The Book Got Its Title
Comment: Throughout the book Peter Dougherty expresses the idea that economists are playing a more important role in the development of today's modern world. As the book progresses Dougherty outlines the basics and morality of the market. Dougherty presents the facts that today the market is running according to the basic rules Adam Smith presented in his works. Throughout the book it's argued that the pursuit of self-interest would not only increase the wealth of society but also teach good habits. Dougherty discusses Smith's ideas on the role of government and other non-economic institutions in society. He argues we need institutions that put our self-interest into service of the common interest, while curving its more destructive elements. This book provides a guided tour through the works of all the authors noted throughout the book. Unfortunately I found this book a little confusing do to some language use and the multiple characters. This book was not the most up beat book I've ever read, but I would highly recommend it to anyone who is truly interested in economics and its many elements.

Rating: 4
Summary: Adam Smith's Civil Society
Comment: Who¡¯s Afraid of Adam Smith? How The Market Got Its Soul! is a book about economics. In the book Peter J. Dougherty portrays many important figures that shaped the history and evolvement of economics. He expresses the idea that economists are playing a more important role in the development of the modern world than what people have realized. However, this book is more about ethics. As the title tells, it is about the moral aspects of economics. With the discussion of Adam Smith¡¯s moral sentiment and how the moral aspects of economics evolved with the development of the modern society, Dougherty outlines the basis and inner morality of free market. He argues that capitalism system and the free market based on it was born with a soul.
Adam Smith¡¯s The Wealth of Nation has long been regarded as the ¡°Bible of capitalism¡±. The focus of Dougherty¡¯s book, however, is on Smith¡¯s less-known book --- The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Published in 1759, The Theory of Moral Sentiments was derived from Adam Smith¡¯s work on moral philosophy. Dougherty believes that the moral dimension of Adam Smith gives market society its soul and it is further revised and updated by several generations of economists and social philosophers to meet the challenges of the changing time.
Dougherty presents the facts that today¡¯s free market is running according to the basic rules Adam Smith articulated in his works. He points out that ¡°the seemingly paradoxical connection between self-love and universal opulence sat at the center of Smith¡¯s system of social philosophy¡­¡± and ¡°Smith connected the pursuit of private interest to service of the public good.¡± He offers several important insights from Smith¡¯s idea of a civil society.
A civil society is built around the assumption ¡°that we are not angels, but rather the very self-interested beings whom we know ourselves to be¡­¡± As observed by Adam Smith it is "not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest". A civil society is built on the basis of the pursuit of self-interest. It promotes individual prosperity.
Adam Smith argued that the pursuit of self-interest would not only increase the wealth of the society but also inculcate good habits such as ¡°economy, industry, discretion, attention and application of thought¡±. As he noted ¡°whenever dealings are frequent, a man does not expect to gain so much by any one contract as by probity and punctuality in the whole, and a prudent dealer, who is sensible of his real interest, would rather choose to lost what he has a right to than give any ground for suspicion¡­¡± In a civil society, these ¡°good habits¡± are not just an option, they are necessary for the maximization of people¡¯s self-interest.
Finally, Dougherty discusses Adam Smith¡¯s idea on the role of government and other non-economic institutions in a society. He writes that ¡°we need institutions that channel our self-interest into service of the common interest while curbing its more destructive elements.¡± Dougherty examines how economists at different times applied Smith¡¯s ideas through advocating government¡¯s role in projects like education, research and development initiatives, and revitalizing poor neighborhood.

Rating: 2
Summary: Who' s afraid of Adam Smith
Comment: I really did'nt like this book at all. I think that it is a very confusing and lame story. Sorry no hard feelings. I mean there was nothing there to keep me motivated and interested in reading it. You talked alot about Econ throughout the story which I thought was very cool, just for the simple fact this is for my Econ class. Its like your telling life time stories about yourself and others. You sure do have alot of characters throughout the book. Overall I think that the book is okay its just not a book for me.