Developments internal to the study of history have played a significant if overlooked role in the changing status of history within political economy. This article illustrates that claim by way of a survey of the place of history in the writings of Adam Smith, Karl Marx, and Alfred Marshall. It...

In his Life of Adam Smith, Dugald Stewart notes that Smith was “always disposed to ascribe to custom and fashion their full share in regulating the opinions of mankind with respect to beauty.” Indeed, Stewart refers to this as a “collateral” inquiry within The Theory of Moral Sentiments....

This article questions Adam Smith’s commitment to the notion of a beneficent Deity, or “all-perfect Being,” whose purpose is to promote the “real happiness” of humankind. It is argued that Smith conceals his true position in The Theory of Moral Sentiments by emphasizing the deceptive...