Adam Smith as Theologian

Adam Smith wrote in a Scotland where Calvinism, Continental natural law theory, Stoic philosophy, and the Newtonian tradition of scientific natural theology were key to the intellectual lives of his contemporaries. But what impact did these ideas have on Smith's system? What was Smith's understanding of nature, divine providence, and theodicy? How was the new discourse of political economy positioned in relation to moral philosophy and theology?This book considers the theological background and meaning of Smith's work, opening up a dialogue between economists and theologians. Adam Smith as Theologian gathers a group of eminent economists, historians, philosophers, and theologians to reflect on these questions, examining the extent to which even contemporary economics may contain residues of Smith's theological mores.