Adam Smith: A Relational Egalitarian Interpretation

• Main Author: Joyce, Kathryn E
• Format: Others
• Published: Digital Archive @ GSU 2012
• Subjects: Adam Smith; Egalitarianism; Relational Equality
• Online Access: http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/philosophy_theses/128; http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1127&context=philosophy_theses

In this thesis I argue that Adam Smith is committed to moral egalitarianism, which extends to his theory of political economy. While Smith’s work is often used to justify economic inequality in society, I show that his political theory is best understood as a kind of relational egalitarianism. Using Elizabeth Anderson’s Democratic Equality as a model, I examine Smith’s commitment to equality in the space of social relationships. In particular, I argue that Smith’s focus on eliminating inequalities that cause oppression in society in conjunction with his efforts to design a political and economic system that will yield social conditions of freedom for individuals make him a relational egalitarian.