Part of the SPAH Seminar Series, Professor Timo Jütten gives a talk on 'Competition and Justice in Adam Smith'
In this paper, I will examine the role of two forms of competition and in the work of Adam Smith. First, competition can arise in the context of the “great purpose in human life which we call bettering our condition” and in seeking admiration, approval, esteem or respect from others. Second, market competition in commercial society harnesses individual competitiveness, strengthens it, and induces it in less competitive people. Both forms of competition have positive and negative effects, and I will ask whether Smith’s proposed remedies for their negative effects are sufficient, or whether they will lead to injustice.
About the speaker
Timo Jütten is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Essex and the Principal Investigator of the Competition & Competitiveness Project, funded by the Leverhulme Trust. His current research focuses on conceptual and normative questions about competition. Timo has published widely on critical social theory in the Frankfurt School tradition. His work has appeared in Ethics, the Journal of Political Philosophy, the European Journal of Philosophy, and other journals.
To attend, please email spahpg@essex.ac.uk for the Zoom link. The seminar will also be streamed in NTC.3.07 for those wishing to attend on campus.