Abstract

Angelica Nuzzo

The Standpoint of Morality in Adam Smith and Hegel

This paper offers a reading of Smith's moral theory from the perspective of Hegel's Philosophy of Right.  I argue that Hegel appreciates Smith not only for his political economy but also for his moral philosophy.  I analyze Hegel's claim that "morality [has its] proper place" within the sphere of Civil Society:  here we have both a criticism of Kant's formal ethics and a full appreciation of Smith's moral theory. Ultimately, given that civil society is the sphere of economic activity and yet is also the proper place of a modern form of Smithian morality, Hegel's perspective allows us revisit das Adam Smith Problem in a new light.