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orignal paper: Beyond natural selection and divine intervention: The Lamarckian implication of Adam Smith's invisible hand

Author

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  • Elias L. Khalil

    (Behavioral Research Council, American Institute for Economic Research, Division Street, PO Box 1000, Great Barrington, MA 01230, USA)

Abstract

Adam Smith's invisible hand metaphor (IH) is examined in light of two different accounts of the origin of traits: Charles Darwin's theory of evolutionary optimization and William Paley's theory of divine intervention. Smith's stand supersedes both accounts. For Smith, intermediating drives, such as the sexual one, neither arise accidentally and favored according to their fitness , la Darwin nor planted by the Deity , la Paley. For Smith, such drives are adopted in light of their ultimate end. Smith did not provide an account of how the drives are connected to their far-reaching, invisible beneficial ends or why do agents become dimly aware of that causality.

Suggested Citation

  • Elias L. Khalil, 2000. "orignal paper: Beyond natural selection and divine intervention: The Lamarckian implication of Adam Smith's invisible hand," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 10(4), pages 373-393.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joevec:v:10:y:2000:i:4:p:373-393
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    Cited by:

    1. Elias L. Khalil, 2001. "Adam Smith and Three Theories of Altruism," Recherches économiques de Louvain, De Boeck Université, vol. 67(4), pages 421-435.
    2. Khalil, Elias, 2022. "Does Friendship Stem from Altruism? Adam Smith and the Distinction between Love-based and Interest-based Preferences," OSF Preprints ygpmq, Center for Open Science.
    3. Khalil, Elias L., 2017. "Socialized view of man vs. rational choice theory: What does smith’s sympathy have to say?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 223-240.

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