NationStates Jolt Archive

He is one of the most influential thinkers upon the modern world. His theories about economics challenged the existing system of mercantilism, an then survived the challenge posed by Marxism. Yet, it would seem that very few people have read any of his works at all. So, have you?


poll coming foo'

As there are really only two published work. The theory of Moral Sentiments and An investigation into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, you could have been more specific in the poll.

Everything else, nearly, he burned.

I, unlike I am willing to guess most here, have read the theory of Moral Sentiments, and not yet WoN. (I am working on the moral theories of his freind and intellectual colleague David Hume, hence the work I read.)

Some things that Smith has said:


According to the system of natural liberty, the sovereign has only three duties to attend to; three duties of great importance, indeed, but plain and intelligible to common understandings: first, the duty of protecting the society from the violence and invasion of other independent societies; seondly, the duty of protecting, as far as possible, every member of the society from the injustice or oppression of every other member of it, or the duty of establishing an exact administration of justice; and, thirdly, the duty of erecting and maintaining certain public works and certain public institutions, which it can never b for the interest of any individual, or small number of individuals to erect and maintain; because the profit could never repay the expense to any individual or small number of individuals, though it may frequently do much morn repay it to a great society.
-The Wealth of Nations

As there are really only two published work. The theory of Moral Sentiments and An investigation into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, you could have been more specific in the poll.

Everything else, nearly, he burned.

I, unlike I am willing to guess most here, have read the theory of Moral Sentiments, and not yet WoN. (I am working on the moral theories of his freind and intellectual colleague David Hume, hence the work I read.)
Hume's interesting, I've just started to scratch the surface of some of his stuff. Interesting though for sure.

Have never read Hume, but I've read Wealth of Nations.

I often use the "invisible hand" metaphor when explaining economics to Democrats. :D