Lord Townshend and the Influence of Moral Philosophy on Laissez Faire

The influence of moral philosophy on the rise of laissez faire is a topic that several scholars have examined. The late Jacob Viner said that “the most important intellectual developments which finally prepared the group for the formulation of an economic doctrine of laissez-faire consisted of contributions by moral philosophers and theologians.” All known examples of such influence do not deal explicitly with economic issues, but rather state in general terms that “Self-Love and Social be the same”; as a result, the moral philosophers did not advance from social philosophy to economic analysis. The gap between the two fields was, however, explicitly bridged by Charles, the third Lord Townshend.

Volume 8, Number 1 (1986)