The Wealth of Nations Essay - 955 Words

The Wealth of Nations Adam Smith’s famous attempt to explain the nature and causes of the wealth of nations rests on several crucial assumptions about human nature which in turn rely on false universalism and questionable dichotomies. To begin with, Smith makes roughly three claims about human nature. Primarily, Smith assumes that self-interest is inherent in all human beings. As opposed to animals which rely on benevolence, in opposition to natural pity (Rousseau p. 53), the human â€Å"will be more likely to prevail if he can interest [others’] self-love in his favour, and show them that it is for their own advantage to do for him what he requires of them† (Smith, p. 18). Smith later relies on this â€Å"self-love† to ground his arguments†¦show more content†¦The three assumptions for the subject as self interested, rational and communicative, and inclined to truck and barter lay the foundations for Smith’s exposition on capitalism. However, the very formula of suggesting a model of human nature, with as few elements as possible, and from that deriving a full account of the creation and justice (or injustice) of modern society is fundamentally flawed. Initially, the dichotomy of â€Å"natural† and â€Å"cultured† humans treats the specific as universal. The opposition is not culture versus nature, but our culture versus someone else’s â€Å"nature†. Rousseau makes this false neutrality evident with his references to the â€Å"natural† Caribs and Negroes (Rousseau p. 41,44,46), and Smith with discussion of landlocked and backward peoples (Smith p. 2,25). The racism inherent in the dichotomy makes it clear just how impossible it is to determine which human behavior is foundational and which is â€Å"merely† contrived. Even Smith’s description of human nature seems to pick up just where Rousseau leaves off, with a society on the brink of industrialization. Wha t was in the one case considered artificial becomes, for Smith, the natural background upon which all artifices are to be built. Beyond this, it seems unlikely that a difficult to ascertain, highlyShow MoreRelatedWealth of Nations1626 Words   |  7 PagesMichelle Trejo Dr. King Human Nature and the Social Order II June 6, 2008 â€Å"The Wealth of Nations† Adam Smith, the author of â€Å"The Wealth of Nations†, was a Scottish moral philosopher during the Industrial Revolution who was inspired by his surroundings to write about the field of economics. Being a man of intellect on various types of philosophical views, Smith was able to portray his passionate feelings about political thought through his well-written works. While publishing his book, Smith becameRead More The Wealth of Nations Essay1349 Words   |  6 Pagesof continental Europe. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;While tutoring from 1763 Adam Smith found some of the time spent in the French provinces hard to fill and seems to have begun his masterpiece An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, as a way of taking up otherwise idle hours in the summer of 1764. Overall however he derived much personal philosophical benefit from these months of journeying on the continent. In Paris he met amongst others, the quot;Physiocratquot; economicRead MoreWealth of Nations Summary2605 Words   |  11 PagesAN INQUIRY INTO THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF THE WEALTH OF NATIONS by Adam Smith (Chapters I-VIII Summary) Submitted to: Sir Lemuel P. Del Rosario Submitted by: Rian Karlo Z. Punzalan Section:2B-G2 CHAPTER I THE DIVISION OF LABOUR. 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The book s original name is â€Å"An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, however it is not recognized by the majority public as so. Smith originally wrote the novel to dismember the thought that mercantilism was a good idea. Only selling goods and gaining nothing fromRead MoreThe Wealth Of Nations By Adam Smith1384 Words   |  6 Pagesworld. Some books, such as the Bible, have influenced Christians. Common Sense by Thomas Paine encouraged Americans to join the fight against the British. Other books, however, do more than simply encourage; they introduce a new philosophy. The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith is claimed to aid the philosophy of what would one day become modern economics. One author wrote two books that would change the course of history. These books would lay foundations to communism and influence leaders like LeninRead MoreThe Wealt h Of Nations By Adam Smith1659 Words   |  7 PagesAdam Smith, the author of â€Å"The Wealth of Nations†, was a Scottish moral philosopher during the Industrial Revolution who was inspired by his surroundings to write about the field of economics. Being a man of intellect on various types of philosophical views, Smith was able to portray his passionate feelings about political thought through his well-written works. While publishing his book, Smith became known as the â€Å"father of modern economics†. He was given this honorary title due to his strong determinationRead MoreThe Wealth Of Nations By Adam Smith1521 Words   |  7 PagesIn Adam Smith’s famous work, The Wealth of Nations, he references the idea of the â€Å"invisible hand† and its influence on the individual. An excerpt from Smith’s renown book reads, â€Å"[E]very individual necessarily labours to render the annual revenue of society as great as he can. He generally, indeed, neit her intends to promote the public interest, nor knows how much he is promoting it . . . he intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promoteRead MoreThe Wealth Of Nations By Adam Smith1774 Words   |  8 PagesAdam Smith’s masterpiece writing, The Wealth of Nations, attempts to create a different understanding of the economy from his age. The focus mainly remains on mercantilism the most prevalent economic system for Western Society at this time. Smith’s simple and in-depth explanations of even the most basic economic concepts allow for someone with little to no prior knowledge of economics to easily grasp his meaning, and coupling these explanations with real life examples provides even more teaching