The Philosophy of Adam Smith

A conference to commemorate the 250th anniversary of The Theory of Moral Sentiments

January 6-8, 2009 - Balliol College, Oxford

Organised by the International Adam Smith Society and The Adam Smith Review

Although Adam Smith is better known now for his economics, in his own time it was his first book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759), which established his reputation. Just as scholarly work on Smith has challenged the free market appropriation of Smith’s Wealth of Nations, so it has also come to appreciate the importance of Smith’s moral philosophy for his overall intellectual project. This conference, to be held at the college Smith himself attended from 1740-46, and at the beginning of the year marking the 250th anniversary of the publication of The Theory of Moral Sentiments, will provide an opportunity to re-evaluate the significance of Smith’s moral philosophy and moral psychology, the relationship between them and his other writings on economics, politics, jurisprudence, history, and rhetoric and belles lettres, and the relevance of his thought to current research in these areas.

Financial support is gratefully acknowledged from Mind Association, Routledge, University of Illinois at Chicago, and the Arts Faculty and Economics Department at The Open University.