Rosmini’s Liberalism and the Shadow of Adam Smith

The purpose of this article is to show the impact on Rosmini’s economic thinking from one strain of classical liberal economics—that of Adam Smith. Rosmini’s reflections on Smith, which are far from episodic, show a degree of affinity and a strong intellectual preference for laissez-faire versus economic interventionism. This article explores selected instances in Rosmini’s economic and political works in which either Rosmini himself quotes Smith, or the latter’s shadow seems unmistakable. It focuses in particular on Rosmini’s approach to economics as a science (and his criticism of “mechanical” utilitarianism); his views of competition, monopoly, and protection; and his fiscal theory, as the places in which his reading of Smith most reverberates. Rosmini’s approaches to these problems constitute sufficient evidence to place him within the classical liberal tradition.