The Influence of Charles Darwin and Adam Smith on the Development of Social Welfare

2014 ◽  
pp. 206-222
Keyword(s):  
Social Welfare ◽  
Charles Darwin ◽  
Adam Smith

The Historical Foundations of Symbolic Interactionism

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Dingwall
Keyword(s):  
Symbolic Interactionism ◽  
Charles Darwin ◽  
Symbolic Interaction ◽  
Adam Smith ◽  
Plant Ecology ◽  
The Body ◽  
Scottish Enlightenment ◽  
Herbert Spencer ◽  
History Of ◽  
Nature And Society

This chapter models a symbolic interactionist approach to the history of symbolic interactionism. It begins with a discussion of the term ‘symbolic interaction’ as devised by Herbert Blumer and the limits of its applicability to the body of work that represents this tradition. This owes at least as much to borrowings from plant ecology and evolutionary theory by sociologists in Chicago in the 1920s and 1930s, with influences from Charles Darwin and Herbert Spencer. Contemporary symbolic interactionism is distinguished from the post-modern version developed by Norman Denzin and associates; from the more structuralist legacy of Erving Goffman; and from ethnomethodology. The chapter then examines the influence of nineteenth century German philosophy and social thought on Chicago sociology. This is shown to draw on the eighteenth century Scottish Enlightenment, particularly the work of Adam Smith and David Hulme, which also had a direct influence of its own. Ultimately, the story leads back to Stoic thought in ancient Greece and Rome from around 300 BCE to around 180 CE. Although its leaders have not had a great interest in the history of the approach, it is a genuine heir to long-running debates about humanity, nature and society rather than a fringe novelty of the twentieth century.

The Constrained Vision of Evolutionary Ethics

2018 ◽  
pp. 35-70
Author(s):  
Neema Parvini
Keyword(s):  
Kin Selection ◽  
Group Selection ◽  
Charles Darwin ◽  
Adam Smith ◽  
Evolutionary Ethics ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Evolutionary Theories ◽  
Jonathan Haidt ◽  
Selection Group ◽  
The Way

This chapter adapts Thomas Sowell’s concept of the constrained (or “tragic”) and unconstrained (or “utopian) visions of humanity in its consideration of evolutionary ethics as a lens through which to approach Shakespeare’s plays. The first half summarises and explains the two visions, while the second traces the development of evolutionary ethics from Adam Smith and Charles Darwin to the work of E.O. Wilson, David Sloan Wilson, and Jonathan Haidt. Along the way, it considers the so-called “Darwin Wars” over the competing evolutionary theories of kin selection, group selection and species selection. Ultimately, the study aligns itself with the constrained vision and supports the emergent view in evolutionary literature of “group selection” following the work of Wilson, Sloan Wilson, and Haidt.

The Influence of Scottish Enlightenment on Darwin's Theory of Cultural Evolution

2000 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain Marciano ◽  
Maud Pelissier
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Charles Darwin ◽  
Adam Smith ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Spontaneous Order ◽  
Modern Theory ◽  
Scottish Enlightenment ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Theory Of Evolution

Since the 1980s, institutional change has become a matter of great interest as economists faced the necessity and the challenge to provide a theory of economic or cultural evolution. Their first reaction was to refer to biology, a field in which theories of evolution have reached a high degree of sophistication. This was all the more legitimate and relevant given that biology has been largely influenced by economics (Schweber 1977, 1980; Gordon 1991; Kresge and Wenar 1994; Depew and Weber 1995). Indeed, the influence of classical political economy on the views of one of the fathers of the modern theory of evolution, Charles Darwin, is widely admitted. Darwin borrowed from economists fundamental ideas such as spontaneous order and methodological individualism (from Adam Smith), the positive role of diversity and variety (from Charles Babbage) and the concept of the struggle for life (from Thomas Malthus). Therefore, the ideas promoted by the founding fathers of political economy, sometimes called “Darwinians before Darwin” (Hayek 1973, p. 23), have shaped Darwin's theory of biological evolution.

scholarly journals An Evaluation of the Performance of Government of Pakistan

2006 ◽  
Vol 45 (4II) ◽  
pp. 831-841
Author(s):  
Farooq Rasheed ◽  
Eatzaz Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Capita Income ◽  
Adam Smith ◽  
National Income ◽  
Political Regimes ◽  
Per Capita Income ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Per Capita

The use of social and economic indicators to evaluate and rank governments’ performance is often found in literature. The Anglo-Commonwealth and Scandinavian countries rest on the surveillance of work in the various ministries. This performance accounting approach thus becomes crucial for any regime to perform superlatively to their predecessors and thus it provides the basis to suggest why it is important to inspect governance of a government. Government’s efficacy also depends on the magnitude of the welfare that it is able to achieve. Debate on welfare is dated back to Adam Smith at-least. Now the question is what should be the welfare gauging indicators. We understand that, issues related to poverty, land utilisation, agriculture and industrial sectors, health services, education, growth rate of national income, per capita income, employment, etc. are important factors that can explain welfare status of a nation. Thus by developing an index based on performance in these areas, various political regimes can be evaluated and ranked. These evaluations and rankings set standards for future governments to improve. Thus these studies can be useful for developing and improving social welfare standards.

Agent_Zero Toward Neurocognitive Foundations for Generative Social Science

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua M. Epstein
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
David Hume ◽  
Karl Marx ◽  
Charles Darwin ◽  
William James ◽  
Adam Smith ◽  
Social Philosophy ◽  
Fyodor Dostoevsky ◽  
Theoretical Entity ◽  
Financial Panic

This book introduces a new theoretical entity: Agent_Zero. This software individual, or “agent,” is endowed with distinct emotional/affective, cognitive/deliberative, and social modules. Grounded in contemporary neuroscience, these internal components interact to generate observed, often far-from-rational, individual behavior. When multiple agents of this new type move and interact spatially, they collectively generate an astonishing range of dynamics spanning the fields of social conflict, psychology, public health, law, network science, and economics. The book weaves a computational tapestry with threads from Plato, David Hume, Charles Darwin, Ivan Pavlov, Adam Smith, Leo Tolstoy, Karl Marx, William James, and Fyodor Dostoevsky, among others. This transformative synthesis of social philosophy, cognitive neuroscience, and agent-based modeling will fascinate scholars and students of every stripe. Computer programs are provided in the book or available online. This book is a signal departure in what it includes (e.g., a new synthesis of neurally grounded internal modules), what it eschews (e.g., standard behavioral imitation), the phenomena it generates (from genocide to financial panic), and the modeling arsenal it offers the scientific community. For generative social science, this book presents a ground-breaking vision and the tools to realize it.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document