Review of Spencer J. Pack, 'Aristotle, Adam Smith and Karl Marx: On Some Fundamental Issues in 21st Century Political Economy' Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2010, xv+260pp. ISBN-10: 1848-44763-9; ISBN-13: 978-1848-44763-9

Abstract

Despite the current lack of interest in political economy amongst economists, philosophers and the public at large, the philosophical questions raised by Aristotle, Smith and Marx regarding economic and political practice are still as relevant in the twenty-first century as they were when each of these three thinkers raised them in their respective epochs. Consider the following puzzles which they discuss. What role does commerce play in the formation of character? From whence comes economic value and how does it relate to the value of which moral philosophers speak? What is money? How do governments become corrupted? These questions remain as significant now as they were in earlier times. Moreover, the answers provided by these three philosophers on such questions continue to be insightful.