Adam Smith PSA

Smith, Adam. The Wealth of Nations (Excerpts). Modified from the Modern History Internet Sourcebook. 1776. Fordham University. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/adamsmith-summary.asp (accessed September 18, 2013).

   Adam Smith was a philosopher who lived in eighteenth century Great Britain. He was born in Scotland in 1723, a very intelligent and inquisitive child who was quite prodigal in school. He attended the University of Glasgow where he rose above his other students in many fields. He won a scholarship to Oxford University where he completed six years of schooling, after which he moved to Edinburgh. It was at this time Smith became fascinated with the studies of society and what it is constituted of. He took his interests a step further and became a professor at Glasgow university where he became legendary for his fascinating lectures. These lectures led him to to pen his first book, which went on to grab fame for its revolutionary views on society in general. This fame brought him to the attention of a rising politician who offered him a job as a tutor for his young son. This job allowed Smith to travel around Europe and met with many enlightenment thinkers, such as Voltaire. These experiences combined allowed Smith to pen his most successful book Wealth of Nations. This work was one of the first to actually outline a capitalist system and how it operates. This makes a Smith a credible source as he is the first person to even suggest a socio-economic system like capitalism that was widely accepted. This leads to why Smith wrote the book which is to try and create a system that would depend on society and its progression. Also, Smith wanted to convince others that his system is the best and that the reader should follow his philosophies towards success. This excerpt was focused mainly on how the division of labor, breaking larger tasks into smaller, more manageable ones, is able to create a more productive work environment. This is exemplified in the quote "The division of labor, so far as it can be introduced, occasions, in every art, a proportionable increase of the productive powers of labor". The document can be cited so far as it is taken into account that it is extremely biased, due to the fact he was the only one who wrote and derived the theories mentioned in the text. Smith also used nothing but glowing appraisal for his theories, using only examples that painted capitalism in a positive light. Smith truly wanted the public to adopt capitalism, and uses persuasive examples and an extensive history studying the topic to back up his opinions.

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