Although best known for revolutionizing economics, Adam Smith spent 13 years as the chair of moral philosophy at the University of Glasgow. The lectures he produced during this professorship formed the basis of “The Theory of Moral Sentiments,” a work outlining Smith’s theory of moral judgment and his philosophy of virtue and the good life. In “Our Great Purpose: Adam Smith on Living a Better Life” (Princeton University Press, 2019), Ryan Patrick Hanley uses selections from Smith’s works to illuminate his thoughts on subjects of immutable importance such as friendship, love, and wisdom.
Please join AEI for a discussion between AEI’s Yuval Levin and Dr. Hanley on why Smith is an essential guide for those seeking to live virtuously in the 21st century.
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About the Author
Ryan Patrick Hanley is professor of political science at Boston College. He is the author of Adam Smith and the Character of Virtue and the editor of Adam Smith: His Life, Thought, and Legacy (Princeton) and the Penguin Classics edition of Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments.