Sophists and Sophistry in the <i>Wealth of Nations</i>

Abstract

Th e Stoic is often seen as the forerunner of Adam Smith’s market man of morals, but others have suggested that the sophist played a role in the formation of market morality and political economy. Th is article traces Smith’s treatment of ancient sophists and his use of the term sophistry in the Wealth of Nations . Smith praised ancient sophists for their eff ective didactic oratory and their ability to make money through teaching. Smith criticized arguments as sophistic when they promoted monetary advantage for a few over and above the principle of competition. Th is varied reception of sophists and sophistry suggests a keen understanding of the rhetorical tradition and its capacity to infl uence the development of the discourse of political economy. Smith’s use of sop histry and reference to the sophists invites a deeper awareness of the essential vitality of eff ective argumentation for Smith’s “system of natural liberty.” sophists and sophistry in the WEALTH OF NATIONS Th e Stoic, David Hume’s “man of action and virtue,” is often considered the forerunner and foundation of Adam Smith’s market man of morals (Hume 1985, 146–54). Ian Simpson Ross notes Smith’s enthusiasm for Stoic philosophers such as Cicero and Marcus Aurelius and the way Stoic philosophy informs Smith’s arguments on various topics such as self-command, selflove, and suicide (Ross 1995, 172, 384). Pierre Force confi rms the infl uence of Stoicism in tracing Smith’s moral system as a contrast with the Epicurean/ Augustinian tradition, showing that for Smith and Stoics self-love merely points the way for an agent to choose r ationally a course of action (Force 2003, 103–5).