In a recent article in the History of Economics Review, Richard Kleer discussed the role of teleology in Adam Smithâs economic work. Kleer has been at the forefront in promoting the ânew teleological and theological viewâ of Smith. In this view, Smith is portrayed as a theorist whose system of thought is fundamentally shaped by a belief in divine design and Providence. This revisionist account is in sharp contrast to the mainstream view of Smith as a secular follower of David Hume. As the title of his article indicates, Kleer focuses on the Wealth of Nations. In fact, Kleerâs focus is on economic growth, which is probably the central theme of that book. He shows that the mechanisms underlying economic growth are human instincts (rather than human foresight); teleology enters when Kleer claims that instincts are part of the divine design. In this reply, I wish to draw attention to some gaps in Kleerâs account and some difficulties with his interpretation. I will also suggest some possible extensions to Kleerâs work.
Download Info
To download:
If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the
proper application to
view it first. Information about this may be contained
in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read
the IDEAS help
page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS
site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
Publisher Info
Paper provided by Massey University, Department of Applied and International Economics in its series Discussion Papers with number
23706.