ADAM SMITH'S PESSIMISTIC VIEW OF THE FUTURE OF COMMERCIAL SOCIETY: RHETORIC OR REALITY?
ADAM SMITH'S PESSIMISTIC VIEW OF THE FUTURE OF COMMERCIAL SOCIETY: RHETORIC OR REALITY?
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亚当·斯密对商业社会未来的悲观看法：是言辞还是现实？
DOI：
10.22004/ag.econ.23705
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发表时间：
2003
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
J. Alvey
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
J. Alvey
亚当·斯密通常被视为商业和商业主义的伟大乐观主义者。与这一评估相一致的是，史密斯相信进步的传统观点：他对历史持乐观态度。另一方面，在过去的三十年里，偶尔有评论家，如海尔布伦纳，提出斯密实际上对历史和商业社会的前景持非常悲观的看法。我们能解释史密斯表面上的矛盾吗？一种解决方案是，史密斯在有生之年“改变了主意”。穆勒提出的另一种建议是，海尔布隆(和其他持类似观点的人)未能理解史密斯的言辞。穆勒提出，史密斯的一些悲观言论中存在夸张之处，这是正确的。然而，史密斯的愿景有着比穆勒承认的更阴暗的色彩：史密斯对商业社会的大部分悲观仍然是一个现实，不能简单地解释为“修辞学”。
Adam Smith is generally viewed as a great optimist about commerce and commercialism. Consistent with this assessment is the conventional view that Smith believed in progress: he had an optimistic view of history. On the other hand, occasionally over the last thirty years commentators, such as Heilbroner, have suggested that Smith actually had a very pessimistic view of history and the prospects of commercial society. Can we explain Smith's apparent inconsistencies? One solution is that Smith "changed his mind" during his lifetime. Another suggestion, proposed by Muller, is that Heilbroner (and others holding similar views) failed to understand Smith's rhetoric. Muller is correct in suggesting that there is exaggeration in some of Smith's pessimistic statements. Nevertheless, Smith's vision has a darker tincture than Muller acknowledges: much of Smith's pessimism about commercial society remains a reality which cannot be neatly explained away as "rhetoric."