The Wealth of Nations: Books 1-3 国富论

‘Itisnotfromthebenevolenceofthebutcher,thebrewer,orthebaker,thatweexpectourdinner,butfromtheirregardtotheirowninterest’Withthislandmarktreatiseonpoliticaleconomy,AdamSmithpavedthewayformoderncapitalism,arguingthatatrulyfreemarket–firedbycompetitionyetguidedasifbyan‘invisiblehand’toensurejusticeandequality–wastheengineofafairandproductivesociety.BooksI–IIIoftheWealthofNationsexaminethe‘divisionoflabour’asthekeytoeconomicgrowth,byensuringtheinterdependenceofindividualswithinsociety.Theyalsocovertheoriginsofmoney,theimportanceofwages,profit,rentandstocks.Smith’sworklaidthefoundationsofeconomictheoryingeneraland‘classical’economicsinparticular,buttherealsophisticationofhisanalysisderivesfromthefactthatitalsoencompassesacombinationofethics,philosophyandhistorytocreateavastpanoramaofsociety.Thiseditioncontainsananalyticalintroductionofferinganin-depthdiscussionofSmithasaneconomistandsocialscientist,aswellasapreface,furtherreadingandexplanatorynotes.《国富论》主导了人类政治经济的演进方向，即使是现今庞大复杂的社会，其运作方式仍然依循《国富论》的模型原则。书中阐述了财富来源和经济发展的原理，并且说明财富在社会各阶层自然分配的秩序。他不仅强调市场机制的无形力量，更凸显出经济体系存在着表面现象与内部实质联系的双重性。