Education doubtless is an economic development tool, but it is or can be much more than that. That “more” can only flourish in the spaces left by the market economy.

Liberal Learning in the Marketplace: Thinking About Liberal Education With Adam Smith

by Joseph M. Knippenberg

I make no claims to a high level of expertise in the philosophy of Adam Smith. This is the first time I have spoken about Smith outside of a classroom setting. I assign selections fromThe Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations in a sophomore-level core course, so the students and I discuss his work without any of us proposing to specialize in it. The irony of approaching Smith in this way is certainly not lost on me.

Nonetheless, I think that it makes sense to think about liberal education with Smith because we live, work, educate, and are educated in a “market society.” It is impossible not to think about the “job market,” the “higher education marketplace,” and so on. The notion of liberal education certainly antedates the ascendancy of the capitalist market, and the question of how the two fit together, if at all, ought to be taken seriously by all those who profess to be devoted to liberal learning in the contemporary world.

Let me take as my point of departure Smith’s discussion of the division of labor in Book I ofWealth.

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