مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري

Abstract :

Although Adam Smith is the one of philosopher whose works are too much discussed, his ideas has been misread and distorted by both his followers and opponents. Contrary to popular beliefs, Smith has not seen the self-interest as only motivation behind the economic behavior and by approaching critically to the role of markets, he recognized the possibility that the government can complement the market in various fields. About 200 years after Smith, Amartya Sen put forward some arguments which actually took place in Smith’s Works but unfortunetely have been ignored by his Capability Approach. In this paper, it will be examined some topics which Smith’s and Sen’s ideas intersect and argued that if Smith’s works were read from a broader perspective, people who advocate an ethic-free economics and unfettered capitalism would not be able to receive any support from Smith.