Newton's real influence on Adam Smith and its context

Abstract

While Newton's influence on Adam Smith has been widely acknowledged, there is scant research on the actual nature of this influence. This paper sums up a line of investigation delving into this issue. After a short introduction, it is argued that Newton's methodology is more complex than a merely positivistic interpretation. Then the context of Newton's influence during the turn of the seventeenth century and the eighteenth century is assessed. It will be suggested that a British (and particularly Scottish) interpretation of Newton diverges from the French reading of his legacy. The final section analyses Smith's understanding of Newton, arguing that the father of economics was a sophisticated interpreter. The intellectual context of what the Scottish Enlightenment made of Newton, and how he was interpreted, may have played a major role in explaining how Smith understood Newton's legacy. Copyright The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Cambridge Political Economy Society. All rights reserved., Oxford University Press.