Adam Smith on Philosophy and Religion
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/RF.2018.025Keywords
Adam Smith, Moral Sentiments, philosophy, religionAbstract
The recent rediscovery of Adam Smith by philosophers has led a debate about the place of religion in his moral philosophy. The debate about the extent to which Smith’s philosophy depends on religious arguments is probably unresolvable, so in this paper I examine what Smith’s writings on religion can tells us about his conception of philosophy. The paper examines the interrelation of religion and philosophical method in Smith’s work and argues that he adopts a ‘reality check’ approach which seeks to prevent philosophical systems from over-reaching themselves.
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