Hi everyone! Today I would like to share with you Adam Smith's philosophy of economic + life.
Adam Smith, British economist and father of modern economics, is best known for his works such as The Wealth of Nations (Douban Score 9.5) and Moral Sentiments (Douban Score 8.8).
He combined economic phenomena with human nature to magically form a philosophical view of life. It's a bit like a philosopher of life in the guise of economics. I think this may provide more possibilities for the life we want.
About the self-interest of others
"Never beg for mercy from others, but appeal to their self-interest; never speak to others about their needs, but only about their benefits."
About love and identification
"What are we working so hard in this world, running back and forth for? What is the purpose of all these greeds and desires, all these pursuits of wealth, power and fame? At the end of the day, it's about getting the love and approval of others. ”
About hierarchy and order
"Hierarchical differences and social order are based on people's tendency to sympathize with and sympathize with the rich and the strong."
About vanity
"Vanity is always based on our belief in being noticed and praised."
About the increase in wealth
"To achieve inner peace, you must be 'healthy, free of debt, and unashamed'. If these conditions can be met, then the increase in wealth will be superfluous. ”
The trade-off between being loved and benefiting
"There is a sense of satisfaction in being aware of being loved, and for a man of slender mind and keen senses, this satisfaction brings him happiness more than all the substantial benefits he might expect from being loved."
About science
"Science is the antidote to the poison of fanaticism and superstition."
About mercy and justice
"Kindness is like beautifying the ornaments of a building, not the foundations that support it. Therefore, it is enough to call on people to practice kindness, there is no need to impose it on others. Rather, justice is like the central pillar that underpins an entire edifice. Once this pillar is shaken, then the grand and majestic building of human society will surely collapse in the blink of an eye. Therefore, justice must be enforced by coercion. ”
About wealth and power
"Wealth is the power used to exchange labor."
About "Pure Justice" and "Actual Good Deeds"
"In the vast majority of cases, pure justice is just a negative virtue that simply prevents us from harming our neighbors. There is really only a slight desirable point in a person who merely restrains himself from infringing on the person, property, or reputation of his neighbor. Because justice is appropriate, it always gets our approval. But because justice is not a real and realistic good deed, it is hardly worth appreciating. ”
About good deeds
"What is more terrible than viciousness is good deeds, because good deeds are excessive, and they are not controlled by conscience."
About empathy
"Just because we agree with someone else's emotions doesn't mean we have to be exactly the same as each other's."
About loving him and self-love
"The food we need is not out of the favor of the butchers, the winemakers, the bakers, but only from the concerns of their own interests, and we do not demand their love for others, but only from their self-love. Let us not say to them that we need to, but only that they are favorable. ”
About frugality and hard work
"It is true that before there is thrift, there must be industriousness, and the things that are saved by thrift are obtained by hard work. But if there is only industriousness, no thrift, and no reserves, capital must not increase. ”
On deprivation and gain
"Depriving us of what we already have is worse than depriving us of what we deserve." Therefore, the crime of violating property is greater than simply tearing up the contract. ”
About "Great Humanity" and "Self-Control"
"We will often find that those who have great humanity in the world but lack self-control are lazy, hesitant, and prone to depression when they encounter difficulties and dangers in the pursuit of the highest honors; on the contrary, we often find those who are able to exercise perfect self-control without any difficulty that can frighten their courage, without any danger that can frighten them, but at the same time they seem indifferent to all their feelings about justice or humanity."
On self-interest and division of labor
"The tendency to exchange is motivated by self-interest and has led to a division of labor."
About an individual's uncontrolled pursuit and consumption behavior
"Everyone is constantly striving to find the most favorable use for the capital at their disposal. Of course, he was thinking about his own interests. But his preoccupation with self-interest naturally (or necessarily) leads him to favor the most socially beneficial uses. It's like "having an invisible hand" guiding him to try to achieve something he doesn't want to achieve. ”
On self-attention moderation
"We have to be moderate when we talk about ourselves. We cannot expect that our companions will be as interested in all these things as we are ourselves. An important obstacle to human interaction is that many people lack this moderation. ”
About the wealth of the country
"A country's wealth is not in the amount of money, but in the abundance of the necessities of life."
About a good economic system
"What is a good economic system, a good economic system is a system that encourages everyone to create wealth."
On the economic development of the society
"If the fruits of a society's development do not fully reach the masses, then it will be morally unpopular and risky, because it is destined to threaten the stability of society."
About selfishness
"Man is born, and always will, be a selfish animal."
On how to treat selfishness
"Think more about others, think less about yourself; temper selfishness, exert benevolence, and build perfect humanity."
I hope that this article will inspire you to think
![DC counter-attack big year: Figures 1 and 2, "Messenger of Peace" Zhao Xina drama finally spit that the Justice League is late; Figure 3, Black Adam debuted in the Super Bowl opening to resist Marvel's "Doctor Strange" trailer[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)