This article explores why Smith's work is a turning point in the history of economic thought. The constitution of an economic discourse and the delimitation of the economy sphere are attributed to: i) the specific nature of Smith's moral philosophy; ii) his way of conceiving economic action as...

This essay argues that Adam Smith's thought should be interpreted within the intellectual context of the Scottish enlightenment. It discusses the origins and the specific nature of the enlightenment in Scotland in order to highlight the differences between the social theory of the Scottish...

The article argues the need to preserve the pluralism in economics. The article examines: i) the nature of the knowledge and of its production; ii) the specificity of the knowledge production in economics and the historical and cultural conditionings of the knowledge; iii) the implications of the...

This paper examines Adam Smith's understanding of the philosophy and science, the motivations that lead us to investigate nature and society, and the proper methods of investigation and exposition. The paper also criticizes those authors that interpret Smith's work as an example of the...

A new comprehension of Adam Smith's writings arose in the last years. These studies emphasized the political and ethical dimensions of his work and its connection with the eighteenth-century context. This article reviews the historical reception of Smith's works and discusses the recent...

This paper discusses the roles of the entrepreneur in the economic theory. Taking the elaboration of Schumpeter as a reference, the paper analyses the forerunner contributions of Cantillon and Bentham, as well as the different approaches of Marx, Veblen and Sombart. The changing role of the...

This paper examines the emergence of an economic discourse separated from ethics or political philosophy. It argues that the works of Locke are a decisive moment in this process, for disclosing the existence of a sphere of the economy distinct from the sphere of the politics. Furthermore, the...