Adam Smith (Great Thinkers)

“Van Vliet’s study of Adam Smith masterfully uncovers this influential progenitor’s entire philosophy, from economics to ethics. Flying in the face of caricatures such as laissez-faire and raw capitalism, so often falsely attributed to Smith, this reading reveals how profoundly concerned this philosopher was for the poor and the destitute, as well as other effects of social injustice. At the same time, van Vliet sharply criticizes Smith for his lack of a robust Reformed theological undergirding. The lasting effect of such an honest appraisal of Smith’s work is the timeliness of his views, especially in the face of our present cultural upheavals.”

“Jan van Vliet has written an excellent work both expositing and summarizing the work of Adam Smith and offering a Reformed Protestant engagement and critique of Smith, with special attention given to the thought of Cornelius Van Til. If you suspect that what you were taught on Adam Smith in your college economics class might be a tad askew, this book is for you. Van Vliet works through the key insights of Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments and Wealth of Nations, and argues persuasively that Smith was concerned with the proper ordering and prospering of the culture as a whole, particularly with justice for the poor and underprivileged. Kudos to van Vliet for a super book.”

“I’m glad to see a volume in the Great Thinkers series on Adam Smith as his influence on contemporary culture is immense. Jan Van Vliet gives a compact and helpful summary of Smith’s life and main ideas, and his Christian theistic evaluation will I hope provoke more theologians to engage with his work.”