Adam Smith 3
Some say he was absent-minded or even oblivious, but I rather like to think of it as frequent states of profound thought. The man I refer to is Adam Smith and after having read the assigned excerpts and a few other passages from his The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations I not only hold him in a new light, but I have arrived at three heavily debated conclusions. First, he believed that self-interest is the singular motivation that effectively leads to public prosperity. Second, although Smith feels that the one's pursuit of self-interest should be their primary concern, he knew that humans are inclined to take interest in and enjoyment from kind and charitable acts. Lastly, when Smith developed the concept of the invisible hand he assumed that the economy would relatively remain unchanged. Let us start with my first hypothesis. Self-interest is defined as regard for one's personal advantage or benefit. We see and carry out this everyday. It is natural to look of one's self first and Smith knew that, in fact he encouraged it. He observed that if everyone acted in his or her own best interests the market would automatically produce what the people demand. He knew
The third topic that I have pondered is whether Smith had given any thought as to what context his invisible-hand would apply to. Smith was an objective economist; he based his invisible-hand theory upon what he observed in the eighteenth-century economy. He did not believe that the new corporate systems or the attempts of workmen to form protective organizations would last. He felt that the marketplace would continue to only grow; remain free of any social disturbances. Today we function in a marketplace full of corporations, labor unions, and involved governments, barriers that upset Smith's free-flowing market. Now some may disagree with what I say, which is perfectly reasonable, for this is only what I have gathered from my limited readings. This is only a taste, a theory upon one man's thoughts. If you find yourself even the least bit interested, I implore you to further explore the reflections and writings of Adam Smith. Then you can decide for yourself whether Smith was a genius or he and I are both fools. this would work be more effective and efficient than any governing body or groups of planners to decide the Three Economic Problems: What to produce? How to produce it? For whom to produce? He knew because the people, the consumers would
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Approximate Word count = 858
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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