Adam Smith (1723-1790) was a Scottish philosopher who wrote two books: The Wealth of Nations and The Theory of Moral Sentiments. The former is the work for which he is most famous, and it basically claims that if everyone works to satisfy their own needs and wants in business, then they will all contribute to the economy in positive ways. He thought that in this sort of economy, the government should have limited control. His other book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments is basically an analysis of how morality works.
“Every individual... neither intends to promote the public interest, nor knows how much he is promoting it... he intends only his own security; and by directing that industry in such a manner as its produce may be of the greatest value, he intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention.”The Wealth Of Nations, Book IV, Chapter II, p. 456, para. 9.
(AdamSmith.org, Article Adam Smith Quotes).
On The Nature Of Man - Adam Smith believed that the nature of man was "How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it except the pleasure of seeing it." (http://www.adamsmith.org/adam-smith/)
In simple words, Human Nature is complicated, and complex. We are self-interested, but we also like to help others too.
Best Form of Goverment - Adam Smith believed that the best form of government was a system of nature and justice. He believed in fair trade, and equal labor. For him, liberty meant not only freedom of speech but, freedom from the government. He believed in fair rights, and an equal system, and believed very strongly in this.
Adam Smith with books
On human rights -Adam Smith believed that if people tried to fulfill their own interests they would help to improve society as a whole. As a result, he wanted people to have free will to fulfill that which is best for themselves, in order to better society. He disagreed with slavery, making the following observation:
"There is not a Negro from the coast of Africa who does not, in this respect, possess a degree of magnanimity which the soul of his sordid master is too often scarce capable of conceiving. Fortune never exerted more cruelly her empire over mankind, than when she subjected those nations of heroes to the refuse of the jails of Europe, to wretches who possess the virtues neither of the countries which they come from, nor of those which they go to, and whose levity, brutality, and baseness, so justly expose them to the contempt of the vanquished." -Adam Smith (TMS V.2.9)
According to The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on Adam Smith, Smith claimed in his book The Theory of Moral Sentiments that people, in a way, split themselves into two persons in order to better judge their actions by the moral guidelines that society has set for individuals. This way, people are able to experience an unbiased view of themselves and their communities. This emphasis on removal of bias, the aforementioned article claims, may lead some people to believe that Adam Smith was against sexism - which is certainly a type of bias. However, there doesn't seem to be any clear proof that Adam Smith really did support women's rights - there is just this speculation, as in The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
On religion -Smith himself was supposedly a deist: someone who believes that there is a creator god, but that this god has stepped back to allow human beings to modify their world. Thus, according to The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Enlightenment, Section Religion and the Enlightenment, Subsection Deism, a deist believes in reason over heavenly miracles, and also believes that Jesus Christ was less of a messiah and more of a "moral teacher". Basically, deists believe in reason above all things. Adam Smith believed that religion was necessary for teaching people to become better citizens, such as by making them more charitable and responsible to their fellow man. However, "Smith wrote that church establishment, that is, the funding of religion through taxation, would remove the incentive for proselytization." (Acton.Org, Article Adam Smith) According to Smith, religion should set general rules for people to follow in order to inspire morality (The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Enlightenment, Section Religion and Enlightenment).
On Society - Smith believed in a very optomistic view of people's behaviors and human nature. He believed that the businesses would disrupt a perfect society, because they would try to squeeze out the highest prices from the consumer. He wrongly believed that everyone prefered to conserve rather than spend. According to Smith, justice is required for a society to survive; rules must be followed in order to stop people from harming one another. People will have a self tendancy to care about themselves, but everyone has a natural empathy towards other people's feelings. Smith believes that any impartial person would fully empathize with other's emotions or actions, requiring self command, and that lies true virtue. All this is what Smith viewed on society.
On how Adam Smith would critique today: I don't think Adam Smith would be happy about how people act today. Most people today don't even care what happens outside of their own lives. Adam Smith was all about how people share empathy for one another, and today you still have that subconscious empathy, but for me, a second later, I forget all about the stranger and their feelings. Also, in some countries, the government controls most aspects of people's lives. Adam idd not like being told how to live his life, but he did believe in rules for justice. I beleive in some ways Adam Smith would be proud, as well, of our world today. There has been so many inventions and improvements in our lives, and if Adam Smith had more longevity, he would be studying our new world with curious eyes and a bright mind.
“Every individual... neither intends to promote the public interest, nor knows how much he is promoting it... he intends only his own security; and by directing that industry in such a manner as its produce may be of the greatest value, he intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention.”The Wealth Of Nations, Book IV, Chapter II, p. 456, para. 9.
(AdamSmith.org, Article Adam Smith Quotes).
On The Nature Of Man - Adam Smith believed that the nature of man was "How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it except the pleasure of seeing it." (http://www.adamsmith.org/adam-smith/)
In simple words, Human Nature is complicated, and complex. We are self-interested, but we also like to help others too.
Best Form of Goverment - Adam Smith believed that the best form of government was a system of nature and justice. He believed in fair trade, and equal labor. For him, liberty meant not only freedom of speech but, freedom from the government. He believed in fair rights, and an equal system, and believed very strongly in this.
On human rights -Adam Smith believed that if people tried to fulfill their own interests they would help to improve society as a whole. As a result, he wanted people to have free will to fulfill that which is best for themselves, in order to better society. He disagreed with slavery, making the following observation:
"There is not a Negro from the coast of Africa who does not, in this respect, possess a degree of magnanimity which the soul of his sordid master is too often scarce capable of conceiving. Fortune never exerted more cruelly her empire over mankind, than when she subjected those nations of heroes to the refuse of the jails of Europe, to wretches who possess the virtues neither of the countries which they come from, nor of those which they go to, and whose levity, brutality, and baseness, so justly expose them to the contempt of the vanquished." -Adam Smith (TMS V.2.9)
According to The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on Adam Smith, Smith claimed in his book The Theory of Moral Sentiments that people, in a way, split themselves into two persons in order to better judge their actions by the moral guidelines that society has set for individuals. This way, people are able to experience an unbiased view of themselves and their communities. This emphasis on removal of bias, the aforementioned article claims, may lead some people to believe that Adam Smith was against sexism - which is certainly a type of bias. However, there doesn't seem to be any clear proof that Adam Smith really did support women's rights - there is just this speculation, as in The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
On religion -Smith himself was supposedly a deist: someone who believes that there is a creator god, but that this god has stepped back to allow human beings to modify their world. Thus, according to The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Enlightenment, Section Religion and the Enlightenment, Subsection Deism, a deist believes in reason over heavenly miracles, and also believes that Jesus Christ was less of a messiah and more of a "moral teacher". Basically, deists believe in reason above all things. Adam Smith believed that religion was necessary for teaching people to become better citizens, such as by making them more charitable and responsible to their fellow man. However, "Smith wrote that church establishment, that is, the funding of religion through taxation, would remove the incentive for proselytization." (Acton.Org, Article Adam Smith) According to Smith, religion should set general rules for people to follow in order to inspire morality (The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Enlightenment, Section Religion and Enlightenment).
On Society - Smith believed in a very optomistic view of people's behaviors and human nature. He believed that the businesses would disrupt a perfect society, because they would try to squeeze out the highest prices from the consumer. He wrongly believed that everyone prefered to conserve rather than spend. According to Smith, justice is required for a society to survive; rules must be followed in order to stop people from harming one another. People will have a self tendancy to care about themselves, but everyone has a natural empathy towards other people's feelings. Smith believes that any impartial person would fully empathize with other's emotions or actions, requiring self command, and that lies true virtue. All this is what Smith viewed on society.
On how Adam Smith would critique today: I don't think Adam Smith would be happy about how people act today. Most people today don't even care what happens outside of their own lives. Adam Smith was all about how people share empathy for one another, and today you still have that subconscious empathy, but for me, a second later, I forget all about the stranger and their feelings. Also, in some countries, the government controls most aspects of people's lives. Adam idd not like being told how to live his life, but he did believe in rules for justice. I beleive in some ways Adam Smith would be proud, as well, of our world today. There has been so many inventions and improvements in our lives, and if Adam Smith had more longevity, he would be studying our new world with curious eyes and a bright mind.
Works Cited
"Adam Smith." Acton.org. Acton Institute. Web. Sept. 2011. http://www.acton.org/pub/religion-liberty/volume-7-number-4/adam-smith.
"Adam Smith Quotes." AdamSmith.org. Web. Sept. 2011. <http://www.adamsmith.org/adam-smith-quotes/>.
" Bristow, William. "Enlightenment (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)." Plato.Stanford.edu. Stanford University, 20 Aug. 2010. Web. Sept. 2011. <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/enlightenment/#RelEnl>.
Weinstein, Jack Russell. "Adam Smith (1723-1790)." Iep.utm.edu. 20 Mar. 2008. Web. Sept. 2011. http://www.iep.utm.edu/smith/.
"Essay or term paper about \" The Falsehood of Adam Smith’s Optimism\" in category \"Book Reports\"." Academic Papers. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2011. http://academicpapers.info/book-reports/the-falsehood-of-adam-smith%E2%80%99s-optimism/.
Bibliography
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"Adam Smith." AdamSmith.org. Web. Sept. 2011. <http://www.adamsmith.org/adam-smith/>.
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"Adam Smith Quotes." AdamSmith.org. Web. Sept. 2011. http://www.adamsmith.org/adam-smith-quotes/.
Bristow, William. "Enlightenment (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)." Plato.Stanford.edu. Stanford University, 20 Aug. 2010. Web. Sept. 2011. <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/enlightenment/#RelEnl>.
Broadie, Alexander. "Scottish Philosophy in the 18th Century (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)." Plato.Stanford.edu. Stanford University, 20 Aug. 2009. Web. Sept. 2011. <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/scottish-18th/#SmiMorSen>.
"The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics Adam Smith (1723-1790)." Econlib.org. 2008. Web. Sept. 2011. <http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Smith.html>.
Smitha, Frankie E. "Adam Smith." Fsmitha.com. Web. Sept. 2011. <http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h44-ph.html>.
"The Theory of Moral Sentiments." AdamSmith.org. Web. Sept. 2011. <http://www.adamsmith.org/the-theory-of-moral-sentiments/>.
"The Wealth of Nations." AdamSmith.org. Web. Sept. 2011. <http://www.adamsmith.org/the-wealth-of-nations/>.
Weinstein, Jack Russell. "Adam Smith (1723-1790)." Iep.utm.edu. 20 Mar. 2008. Web. Sept. 2011. <http://www.iep.utm.edu/smith/>.
Works Cited::
"Adam Smith." AdamSmith.org. Web. Sept. 2011. <http://www.adamsmith.org/adam-smith/>.
"Adam Smith Champion of Prosperity." Britsattheirbest.com. Web. Sept. 2011. <http://www.britsattheirbest.com/freedom/f_adam_smith.htm>.
" Bristow, William. "Enlightenment (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)." Plato.Stanford.edu. Stanford University, 20 Aug. 2010. Web. Sept. 2011. <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/enlightenment/#RelEnl>.
"Adam Smith Quotes." AdamSmith.org. Web. Sept. 2011. http://www.adamsmith.org/adam-smith-quotes/.