Did anyone watch BookTV last night? They did The Wealth of Nations. It was very interesting. I didn't think I would learn anything new, but I was wrong. For the discussion they had a expert of moral philosophy, Samuel Fleischacker, and an economist, Russel Roberts, on.
On most things they agreed. They only thing they disagreed on was whether Smith would support universal healthcare or not. Fleischacker said he would and Roberts said he wouldn't.
The most interesting thing to me is how much of an egalitarian Smith was. He was an anti-materialist. That's amazing to me. He said that happiness doesn't come from aquiring materials, but from relationships with others. Also, he was very much opposed to rich businessmen and large businesses. He called for the East India Trading company to have it's charter revoked. If he were alive today he would be outraged by the way corporations claim to be for the public good, and would be opposed to allowing them to promote themselves and their ideas the way we do. Furthermore, he was against conspicuous consumption long before Veblen ever came along.
He was also anti-war, and would have been outraged at the way the US borrows money to pay for it's military and fight wars all over the world. He said wars should be paid for in the year they are fought.
On most things they agreed. They only thing they disagreed on was whether Smith would support universal healthcare or not. Fleischacker said he would and Roberts said he wouldn't.
The most interesting thing to me is how much of an egalitarian Smith was. He was an anti-materialist. That's amazing to me. He said that happiness doesn't come from aquiring materials, but from relationships with others. Also, he was very much opposed to rich businessmen and large businesses. He called for the East India Trading company to have it's charter revoked. If he were alive today he would be outraged by the way corporations claim to be for the public good, and would be opposed to allowing them to promote themselves and their ideas the way we do. Furthermore, he was against conspicuous consumption long before Veblen ever came along.
He was also anti-war, and would have been outraged at the way the US borrows money to pay for it's military and fight wars all over the world. He said wars should be paid for in the year they are fought.
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