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Summary Of Chapter 3, Worldy Philosophers

Chapter 3 of the book, "Worldly Philosophers" is mainly focused on Adam Smith and the "world" he belonged in. It starts off with the talk of a new vision, a remarkable vision that was formulated by no other than the Father of Modern Economics, Dr. Adam Smith. The talk of his vision was followed not only by a short biography of the renowned economist but of also brief narratives of his "absences of mind".
Adam Smith was born on 1723 in Kirkcaldy, County Fife, Scotland. He was a moral philosopher and a revolutionary political economist. In 1751, the Chair of Moral Philosophy at the University of Glasgow was bestowed upon Smith; seven years after that, he became the dean. The unconventional character that was Adam Smith was not the only reason in which he was given much regard, but his two remarkable works, "The Theory of Moral Sentiments" and "The Wealth of Nations" made him the astounding and profound philosopher, and economist that he was.
Smith's book, "The Theory of Moral Sentiments", vividly talks about man's sympathy and its role in society. He divided moral systems into two parts, the motive of morality which is man's self- love and the nature of morality which is sound moral judgment, or the act of compassion and generosity. Smith rejected the view in the capability of man to form such judgments which centrally concentrates on his self- interest. Smith's other book, which was discussed in depth in the following paragraphs in the third chapter, "The Wealth of Nations" strongly points out that man and his self- interest are the factors in which society benefits from. These two contradicting factors lead to "The Adam Smith Problem". In "Worldly Philosophers", it is clearly seen that Smith has articulated the answer to this paradox. He said that the answer lays in our capabilities to craft a benevolent view if we ‘put ourselves in the shoes of others'. Self- interest does not insinuate a selfish act, rather more of a sympathetic act.
As the chapter...