Buchbesprechung: Adam Smith, and Karl Marx: on some fundamental issues in 21st century political economy : von Spencer J. Pack's
Journal
Erasmus Journal for Philosophy and Economics
Type
book review
Date Issued
2012-11-30
Author(s)
Herzog, Lisa
Abstract
Spencer Pack's new book can be understood as an architectural
guidebook to three great buildings: the intellectual systems of Aristotle,
Adam Smith, and Karl Marx. There is also an outlook on the
contemporary landscape, as announced in the subtitle. For the most
part, however, Pack analyses the writings of these three seminal figures,
and he looks at them through the lens of three pairs of concepts:
exchange value and money, capital and character, change and
government. Spencer does not provide a detailed justification for his
focus on these concepts or on these three thinkers-except that they
are important figures in our intellectual tradition and stand in a kind of
"dialogue" (p. xi). So the proof of the pudding is in the eating; but,
to anticipate, the overall result justifies this choice of focus, as it
illuminates central dimensions of the thought of Aristotle, Smith, and
Marx, and leads to insightful comparisons.
guidebook to three great buildings: the intellectual systems of Aristotle,
Adam Smith, and Karl Marx. There is also an outlook on the
contemporary landscape, as announced in the subtitle. For the most
part, however, Pack analyses the writings of these three seminal figures,
and he looks at them through the lens of three pairs of concepts:
exchange value and money, capital and character, change and
government. Spencer does not provide a detailed justification for his
focus on these concepts or on these three thinkers-except that they
are important figures in our intellectual tradition and stand in a kind of
"dialogue" (p. xi). So the proof of the pudding is in the eating; but,
to anticipate, the overall result justifies this choice of focus, as it
illuminates central dimensions of the thought of Aristotle, Smith, and
Marx, and leads to insightful comparisons.
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
No
Publisher
Erasmus University
Publisher place
Rotterdam
Volume
5
Number
2
Start page
138
End page
143
Pages
6
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
220126