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How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness Hardcover – October 9, 2014
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“An earnest, accessible introduction to Smith’s ideas on the nature of virtue and happiness.”
—The Wall Street Journal
"Can economists teach us how to live a good life? When the economists in question are Adam Smith and Russ Roberts, the answer is a definitive yes. Roberts shines a fresh light on Smith’s ideas about morality and human nature and finds that these 18th century ideas hold up remarkably well in the 21st century. This is a fun, fascinating, and original book that will challenge you to become a better version of yourself.”
—DANIEL H. Pink, author of Drive and To Sell is Human
“A great book. Makes you feel better about life, humanity, and yourself. Like having a conversation and a scotch with Adam Smith, or even better, Russ Roberts.”
—NASSIM TALEB, author of The Black Swan
“Russ Roberts has taken a brilliant but difficult classic—Smith’s Theory of Moral Sentiments—and written an engaging and inspiring meditation on virtue, friendship, and happiness. The result is a wonderful guide to living a good life.”
—JONATHAN HAIDT, author of The Righteous Mind
“Adam Smith was not just an economist; he also had penetrating insights into human nature that informed his rich, subtle, and revolutionary approach to moral philosophy. Russ Roberts combines a deep understanding of what Smith was on about with a fluent writing style to bring out the surprisingly modern implications of Smith’s thinking.”
—MATT RIDLEY, author of The Rational Optimist
“Russ Roberts has done us all a great service in capturing the essence of Smith’s wisdom about the emotional and psychological foundations of both the good life and a successful economy. This book is a pleasure to read and, what’s more, Adam Smith almost certainly can change your life.”
—DIANE COYLE, author of The Soulful Science
—The Wall Street Journal
"Can economists teach us how to live a good life? When the economists in question are Adam Smith and Russ Roberts, the answer is a definitive yes. Roberts shines a fresh light on Smith’s ideas about morality and human nature and finds that these 18th century ideas hold up remarkably well in the 21st century. This is a fun, fascinating, and original book that will challenge you to become a better version of yourself.”
—DANIEL H. Pink, author of Drive and To Sell is Human
“A great book. Makes you feel better about life, humanity, and yourself. Like having a conversation and a scotch with Adam Smith, or even better, Russ Roberts.”
—NASSIM TALEB, author of The Black Swan
“Russ Roberts has taken a brilliant but difficult classic—Smith’s Theory of Moral Sentiments—and written an engaging and inspiring meditation on virtue, friendship, and happiness. The result is a wonderful guide to living a good life.”
—JONATHAN HAIDT, author of The Righteous Mind
“Adam Smith was not just an economist; he also had penetrating insights into human nature that informed his rich, subtle, and revolutionary approach to moral philosophy. Russ Roberts combines a deep understanding of what Smith was on about with a fluent writing style to bring out the surprisingly modern implications of Smith’s thinking.”
—MATT RIDLEY, author of The Rational Optimist
“Russ Roberts has done us all a great service in capturing the essence of Smith’s wisdom about the emotional and psychological foundations of both the good life and a successful economy. This book is a pleasure to read and, what’s more, Adam Smith almost certainly can change your life.”
—DIANE COYLE, author of The Soulful Science
About the Author
Russ Roberts is the John and Jean De Nault Research Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. He hosts the award-winning weekly podcast EconTalk and is the author of three economics novels, including The Price of Everything: A Parable of Possibility and Prosperity. He is also the co-creator of the Keynes-Hayek rap videos, which have been viewed over seven million times on YouTube. His twitter handle is @econtalker.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
By
T.S. Daily
on October 14, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
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I'm not usually in the habit of reading books on 18th century economist-philosopher's 2nd most famous work, but I like Russ Roberts a lot, and gave it a chance. Glad I did. Russ is thoughtful, and comes across as a genuinely good person. Adam Smith is surprisingly prescient for someone writing in 1759.
Long-time fans of econtalk or Cafe Hayek won't be surprised to know that Russ weaves in thoughts on emergent order, Fredrick Hayek, and the 2008 financial crisis, and the book is better for it in my opinion.
Finally, based on the one existing review (as of this time), I was expecting a heavy dose of the Talmud (not a bad thing), but I thought that review overstated it. Russ mentions it, but he also mentions Hume, Darwin, Hayek, Einstein, Warren Buffett, etc. Above all, this is exactly what the title says: an unexpected guide to human nature and happiness. Recommended.
Long-time fans of econtalk or Cafe Hayek won't be surprised to know that Russ weaves in thoughts on emergent order, Fredrick Hayek, and the 2008 financial crisis, and the book is better for it in my opinion.
Finally, based on the one existing review (as of this time), I was expecting a heavy dose of the Talmud (not a bad thing), but I thought that review overstated it. Russ mentions it, but he also mentions Hume, Darwin, Hayek, Einstein, Warren Buffett, etc. Above all, this is exactly what the title says: an unexpected guide to human nature and happiness. Recommended.
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48 of 55 people found the following review helpful
By
Ira E. Stoll
VINE VOICE on October 9, 2014
Format: Hardcover
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Adam Smith, the founder of modern economics, is best known for his 1776 book "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations." But it is Adam Smith's "other book," "The Theory of Moral Sentiments," that is the subject of this new book by Russ Roberts.
Mr. Roberts, a fellow at the Hoover Institution, has been an economics professor, is a co-creator of the Hayek-Keynes rap video, and is the host of the EconTalk podcast. Yet, like Adam Smith himself, he seems to sense that economics alone, in the absence of some sort of moral keel or system, is an insufficient guide for human behavior or happiness.
The book begins with a useful brief biography of Smith, reporting that he "spent the last years of his life" as a Scottish customs commissioner, "collecting taxes for the government from importers." Mr. Roberts appreciates the irony here; he might have also mentioned that two other prominent advocates of liberty in Smith's period, Thomas Paine and Samuel Adams, also worked as tax collectors, though for Paine and Adams the work was at the beginning of their careers rather than at the end.
The rest of the book proceeds as an accessible gloss on Smith's "Theory of Moral Sentiments." "Life's not a race. It's a journey to savor and enjoy," Roberts writes. He quotes Smith as observing that, "We frequently see the respectful attentions of the world more strongly directed towards the rich and the great, than towards the wise and the virtuous." It's not that wealth and virtue are mutually exclusive, as some of today's campaigners against inequality would have us believe. But neither are they the same thing.Read more ›
Mr. Roberts, a fellow at the Hoover Institution, has been an economics professor, is a co-creator of the Hayek-Keynes rap video, and is the host of the EconTalk podcast. Yet, like Adam Smith himself, he seems to sense that economics alone, in the absence of some sort of moral keel or system, is an insufficient guide for human behavior or happiness.
The book begins with a useful brief biography of Smith, reporting that he "spent the last years of his life" as a Scottish customs commissioner, "collecting taxes for the government from importers." Mr. Roberts appreciates the irony here; he might have also mentioned that two other prominent advocates of liberty in Smith's period, Thomas Paine and Samuel Adams, also worked as tax collectors, though for Paine and Adams the work was at the beginning of their careers rather than at the end.
The rest of the book proceeds as an accessible gloss on Smith's "Theory of Moral Sentiments." "Life's not a race. It's a journey to savor and enjoy," Roberts writes. He quotes Smith as observing that, "We frequently see the respectful attentions of the world more strongly directed towards the rich and the great, than towards the wise and the virtuous." It's not that wealth and virtue are mutually exclusive, as some of today's campaigners against inequality would have us believe. But neither are they the same thing.Read more ›
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By
Johnny & Riza
on October 20, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
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While everyone thinks of Adam Smith as the author of Wealth of Nations, Roberts plumbs the depths of his first book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments. I actually read Wealth of Nations. My first economics course assigned several sections and I just read the whole thing. His prose is indeed a bit dense for the modern reader but I enjoyed it. I went back recently to read Theory of Moral Sentiments and stopped a third of the way through. I don't know if I have lost my appreciation for turgid or whether the subject was less interesting, but I quit. I'm not proud of it but, like Spike, I'm man enough to admit it.
Roberts's book on the book (P.J. O'Rourke did a pretty good one on Wealth of Nations), conversely, enraptured me. Why didn't I get this out of it? Some authors are better read about than read. Even my hero Karl Popper falls into this class: Richard Dawkins, Michael Oakeshott -- perhaps I'll just put Smith on this list. Yet I would love to connect with ToMS as Roberts did.
Wealth of Nations is about economics; Theory of Moral Sentiments is about personal choices and structuring your life for optimal satisfaction. That's the conventional wisdom and Roberts does a great job comparing and contrasting the two works. But he asks first whether they are different as they appear. He tries to explain the heart of economics to casual contacts who think he can grace them with a hot stock pick:
<blockquote>Alas, I am not an accountant or a stockbroker, I explain. But one very useful thing I've learned from economics is to be skeptical of advice from stockbrokers about the latest stock that's sure to skyrocket. Saving you from losses isn’t as exciting as promising you millions, but it's still pretty valuable.Read more ›
Roberts's book on the book (P.J. O'Rourke did a pretty good one on Wealth of Nations), conversely, enraptured me. Why didn't I get this out of it? Some authors are better read about than read. Even my hero Karl Popper falls into this class: Richard Dawkins, Michael Oakeshott -- perhaps I'll just put Smith on this list. Yet I would love to connect with ToMS as Roberts did.
Wealth of Nations is about economics; Theory of Moral Sentiments is about personal choices and structuring your life for optimal satisfaction. That's the conventional wisdom and Roberts does a great job comparing and contrasting the two works. But he asks first whether they are different as they appear. He tries to explain the heart of economics to casual contacts who think he can grace them with a hot stock pick:
<blockquote>Alas, I am not an accountant or a stockbroker, I explain. But one very useful thing I've learned from economics is to be skeptical of advice from stockbrokers about the latest stock that's sure to skyrocket. Saving you from losses isn’t as exciting as promising you millions, but it's still pretty valuable.Read more ›
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By
Bob Siegel
on October 19, 2014
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Roberts takes Adam Smith beyond the simplistic stereotypes of Smith that are tossed around today. Instead, we see a complex philosopher who doesn't simply still have relevance today, but in fact has highly valuable lessons for the 21st century.
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