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Adam Smith and Religious Mercantilism

Maria Pia Paganelli (Trinity University, USA)

Research in the History of Economic Thought and Methodology: Including a Symposium on Religion, the Scottish Enlightenment, and the Rise of Liberalism

ISBN: 978-1-83549-517-9, eISBN: 978-1-83549-516-2

Publication date: 31 October 2023

Abstract

Adam Smith sees religion both as having a useful and a dangerous role. People create gods to explain what they do not understand and appease their desire of justice when human justice is perceived to fail. These are socially useful functions of religion. But when religion is used as a political tool and is used for state capture purposes, then it becomes a dangerous and destructive force in society.

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Acknowledgements

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Samuel Pappas for his research assistance. Thanks also to Craig Smith for comments on an earlier draft and to the participants of the Religion, Scottish Enlightenment, and the Rise of Liberalism workshop.

Citation

Paganelli, M.P. (2023), "Adam Smith and Religious Mercantilism", Fiorito, L., Scheall, S. and Suprinyak, C.E. (Ed.) Research in the History of Economic Thought and Methodology: Including a Symposium on Religion, the Scottish Enlightenment, and the Rise of Liberalism (Research in the History of Economic Thought and Methodology, Vol. 41A), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 27-35. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0743-415420240000041003

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited