Publication: Adam Smith’s irony and the Invisible Hand
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2017
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I reconstruct Adam Smith’s theory of irony and its application. I illustrate how he defines it as a combination of something “grand” with something “mean” and how this is consistent with his anti-Cartesian and post-sceptic epistemology. I suggest that, for Smith, “systems” of any kind, from Cartesian physics to philosophical monotheism, Stoic ethics, and the “mercantile system” draw their apparent plausibility from some disease of human imagination. I argue that in every field, including political economy, in his view, the philosopher’s task is partially sceptical and partially ironical. That is, it is the task to fight erroneous systems by showing how these arise from unwarranted associations of ideas between apparently “grand” ideas —say, the public interest— with “mean” ones, say, the merchants’ self-interest. In this light, the phrase “invisible hand” turns out to be both an ironic joke and one more application of Smith’s postsceptical theory of knowledge whose target is dismantling all kind of “invisible” entities that human imagination tends to create.
Describo la teoría de la ironía de Adam Smith y su aplicación. Explico su definición como una combinación de algo “grandioso” con algo “mezquino” y cómo esta es coherente con su epistemología anti-cartesiana y post-escéptica. Sugiero que, según Smith, la aparente plausibilidad de los sistemas de cualquier tipo, desde la física cartesiana hasta el monoteísmo filosófico, la ética estoica y el “sistema mercantil”, es el resultado de alguna enfermedad de la imaginación humana. Sostengo que, en su opinión, la tarea del filósofo en todos los ámbitos, incluyendo la economía política, es parcialmente escéptica y parcialmente irónica. Es decir, luchar contra los sistemas erróneos, mostrando cómo éstos surgen de asociaciones injustificadas entre ideas aparentemente “grandiosas” —digamos, el interés público— con ideas “mezquinas”, por ejemplo el interés egoísta de los comerciantes. En este sentido, el uso de la expresión “mano invisible” resulta ser irónico y, al mismo tiempo, una aplicación de su propia teoría post-escéptica del conocimiento que plantea el objectivo de desmantelar todo tipo de entidades “invisibles” que la imaginación humana tiende a crear.
Describo la teoría de la ironía de Adam Smith y su aplicación. Explico su definición como una combinación de algo “grandioso” con algo “mezquino” y cómo esta es coherente con su epistemología anti-cartesiana y post-escéptica. Sugiero que, según Smith, la aparente plausibilidad de los sistemas de cualquier tipo, desde la física cartesiana hasta el monoteísmo filosófico, la ética estoica y el “sistema mercantil”, es el resultado de alguna enfermedad de la imaginación humana. Sostengo que, en su opinión, la tarea del filósofo en todos los ámbitos, incluyendo la economía política, es parcialmente escéptica y parcialmente irónica. Es decir, luchar contra los sistemas erróneos, mostrando cómo éstos surgen de asociaciones injustificadas entre ideas aparentemente “grandiosas” —digamos, el interés público— con ideas “mezquinas”, por ejemplo el interés egoísta de los comerciantes. En este sentido, el uso de la expresión “mano invisible” resulta ser irónico y, al mismo tiempo, una aplicación de su propia teoría post-escéptica del conocimiento que plantea el objectivo de desmantelar todo tipo de entidades “invisibles” que la imaginación humana tiende a crear.
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