Publication: Adam Smith’te etik-iktisat ilişkisi ya da Adam Smith’in iktisadî liberalizminin etik temelleri
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Date
2024-03-20
Authors
Authors
Akdemir, Ferhat
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi
Abstract
Hiç kuşkusuz Adam Smith önemli bir iktisat teorisyenidir ve literatürde genellikle iktisadi liberalizmin öncü ve kurucu ismi olarak anılır. Lakin o sadece bir iktisatçı değil, aynı zamanda bütünlüklü bir sosyal teorisyendir. Dolayısıyla onun iktisat teorisinin etik bir temele dayandığı yadsınamaz. Ne var ki, hayatta iken yayımladığı iki önemli eseri Ahlaki Duygular Kuramı ve Milletlerin Zenginliği’nde birbiriyle çelişen iki farklı insan doğası tasarımı geliştirdiği, bu nedenle sosyal teorisinde bir tutarsızlığa düştüğü sıklıkla ifade edilir. İddiaya göre Ahlakî Duygular Kuramı’nda sempati üzerine kurulu bir etik sistem inşa etmeyi amaçlarken, Milletlerin Zenginliği’nde iktisadi sistemini kişisel çıkarının peşinde koşan bencil insan tasarımı üzerine geliştirir. Bu ise Smith’in sisteminde bir çelişkiye düştüğünün açık bir ifadesi olarak yorumlanmaktadır. İşte bu makalenin konusu literatürde ‘Adam Smith Problemi’ olarak anılan bu sorunu çözümlemektir. Bu bağlamda ilkin filozofumuzun sempati üzerine kurulu etik tasarımı ardından kişisel çıkar üzerine inşâ ettiği iddia edilen politik-iktisadi sistemi incelenecek, daha sonrasında ileri sürülen tutarsızlık iddiası farklı perspektiflerden irdelenmeye çalışılacaktır.
Undoubtedly, Adam Smith is an important theorist of economy and is often referred to in the literature as the leading and founding of economic liberalism. However, he is not only an economist, but also a holistic social theorist. Therefore, it is undeniable that his economic theory is based on an ethical basis. However, it is often stated that he developed two different conflicting designs of human nature in his two important works published while he was alive, The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations, and therefore fell into an inconsistency in his social theory. Allegedly, while aiming to build an ethical system based on sympathy in The Theory of Moral Sentiments, he develops a selfish human design in the pursuit of self-interest in The Wealth of Nations. This is interpreted as a clear statement that Smith has fallen into a contradiction in his system. The main subject of this article is to examine the problem referred to as the ‘Adam Smith Problem’ in the literature. In this context, first of all, it will be examined our philosopher’s ethical system based on sympathy, followed his political-economic system based on self-interest, and then the claim of inconsistency put forward will be examined from different perspectives.
Undoubtedly, Adam Smith is an important theorist of economy and is often referred to in the literature as the leading and founding of economic liberalism. However, he is not only an economist, but also a holistic social theorist. Therefore, it is undeniable that his economic theory is based on an ethical basis. However, it is often stated that he developed two different conflicting designs of human nature in his two important works published while he was alive, The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations, and therefore fell into an inconsistency in his social theory. Allegedly, while aiming to build an ethical system based on sympathy in The Theory of Moral Sentiments, he develops a selfish human design in the pursuit of self-interest in The Wealth of Nations. This is interpreted as a clear statement that Smith has fallen into a contradiction in his system. The main subject of this article is to examine the problem referred to as the ‘Adam Smith Problem’ in the literature. In this context, first of all, it will be examined our philosopher’s ethical system based on sympathy, followed his political-economic system based on self-interest, and then the claim of inconsistency put forward will be examined from different perspectives.
Description
Keywords
Adam Smith, Sempati, Kişisel çıkar, Etik, İktisat, Sympath, Self-interest, Ethics, Economy
Citation
Akdemir, F (2024) "Adam Smith’te Etik-iktisat ilişkisi ya da Adam Smith’in iktisadî liberalizminin etik temelleri" Kaygı. Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi Felsefe Dergisi, 23 (1),118-144.