Art, artificial intelligence and wealth: Dialogue with Adam Smith

Abstract

This article presents a philosophical dialogue as a means of modelling approaches to capitalism and society over the past two centuries. Adam Smith’s views of economics were located in a moral and cultural context, derived from the Scottish Enlightenment, which has been disregarded by enthusiasts for the free market. Through an imagined dialogue with German artist Joseph Beuys and Dutch businessman Paul Fentener Van Vlissingen, using their words, we identify a European position which both preceded and follows the period of industrialisation. Using philosophical dialogue as a form of intellectual forum theatre, we hope to stimulate debate.