Smithian Echoes in Antonio Rosmini’s Political Theory

It is a truism that Adam Smith’s influence went well beyond the boundaries of economics and of the Anglo-Saxon world. Yet it is perhaps less obvious that a Catholic priest, an important philosopher in the times of Pius IX, was developing on Smithian insights in his political theory. Antonio Rosmini was a liberal Catholic and a fine reader of economics. His writings show a familiarity with Smith, with some criticisms and some substantial reasons of agreement. In this paper, I will focus on Rosmini’s understanding of economics as a science; of competition; of free trade and taxation, trying to see how Smith influenced his views on these matters.