Political Theory
First published in 1984, this new edition of Gloria Vivenza’s book on Adam Smith has just been translated into English. There are no substantive changes (except for a long postscript that reviews more recent readings of Smith) but the book holds up well as an expert exercise in tracing sources, influence and filiation. Though it is now commonplace to read about Smith’s antique sources, it was not in 1984. Smith was lucky to have been taught by Francis Hutcheson, who revitalized the study of classical teaching at Glasgow; Hutcheson’s enthusiasm extended beyond Smith to radiate throughout the whole Scottish Enlightenment.
Vivenza’s scholarly and carefully detailed account of the intricate weave of classical influences within Smith’s thought is an achievement, not least because many of Smith’s most important ideas were a composite of a number of, often quite disparate, sources. Smith would then complicate this mix with his own modern twists, sometimes becoming quite muddled himself about the sources and even the original ideas. Vivenza is aware of this and is ready with the appropriate corrective. She is also sensitive to the fact that Smith was never slavish to his sources but rather used them ‘to form a kind of cultural seed-bed, in which a quite new species of ethics could take root and grow’.
Adam Smith and the Classics is a close and comprehensive textual study more than an interpretation. Rather than attempting to comprehend Smith’s work as a system, the treatment is analytical, organized around topics and their respective pedigrees. Vivenza tells us that her book was written for a non-specialist audience, but scholars of Smith’s work should also find it very useful, especially those tired of the steady stream of hagiography coming out of Smith studies.
