Over at Law & Liberty I had the pleasure of reviewing Ryan Patrick Hanley’s new book, Our Great Purpose: Adam Smith on Living a Better Life.

I highly mend it:

Ryan Patrick Hanley’s latest book offers an accessible, erudite, and concise introduction to Adam Smith in full, the moral philosopher of wisdom and prudence. In Our Great Purpose, Hanley eschews the extensive reference apparatus and jargon that is so characteristic of contemporary scholarship. Instead, Hanley has taken an approach that is more faithful to Smith’s own purposes. Our Great Purpose functions as a guidebook to Smith’s thought, taking its point of departure in Smith’s own words, working through the ideas and texts to arrive at prehensive, nuanced, and coherent picture of the Scottish philosopher.

One of the more fraught questions related to Smith has to do with his religious belief and more specifically the role of religion and theology in his thought. For his part, Hanley acknowledges the worldly-mindedness of the great Scottish philosopher. But Hanley also concludes that Smith is not so earthly-minded to be of no heavenly good.

One of the key questions for Hanley thus arises in the final chapter: “What sort of relationship is fitting between a wise and virtuous person and a wise and good God?”

To find out the answer Hanley gives, you’ll have to check out the book.And you should.