ABSTRACT
This chapter examines Adam Smith’s view of history, which some critics interpret as a religious perspective rooted in providentialism. The analysis has three parts. Section 1 addresses the accepted view that Smith saw past history as progress and shows that it does not have solid foundations. This view is based on the prominence Smith gives to stadial theory, which actually serves merely as a thought experiment in his narrative. To understand Smith’s view of history, it is necessary to examine how he describes reality: actual past and contemporary events. Section 2 therefore examines Smith’s portrayal of three key figures of his time: the worker, the slave, and the magnate. Section 3 shows that Smith’s attack on the mercantile system is part of a harsh critique of commercial society that reveals a view of history that is anything but optimistic and undermines the hypothesis that history is guided by a providence that is on the side of mankind, and promotes mankind’s well-being and happiness.
