The metaphor of the "invisible hand" was used by Adam Smith to describe the economic principle that a social order that produces good results emerges as a result of the unintended consequences of individual actions.

The metaphor "the invisible hand" was used by Adam Smith to describe the economic principle that a social order that produces good results emerges as a result of the unintended consequences of individual actions. Although the term appears only three times in Adam Smith's writings (in The Theory of Moral Sentiments, The Wealth of Nations, and an essay he published), the "invisible hand" has become a An image term representing the perfect competition model of capitalism. The main feature of this model is private ownership, where everyone works for themselves, has the freedom to obtain market information, and competes freely without the need for government intervention in economic activities.

Although some scholars have pointed out that the true meaning of this expression may have been misunderstood by people - according to Smith's original text, he did not intend to praise the free economic system, but just believed that excessive intervention was unnecessary, because British businessmen would not feel at ease. entrust their capital to foreigners.

Adam Smith

Adam Smith was born in Scotland in 1723. He entered Glasgow University when he was about 14 years old, and studied moral philosophy under the guidance of Hutcheson. It was this experience that inspired his passion for freedom and reason. and the desire for free speech. In 1748, he began to give lectures at the University of Edinburgh, initially focusing on rhetoric and pure literature, and later began to study "the development of wealth." In 1751 Smith was appointed professor of logic at the University of Glasgow, and in 1752 he was appointed professor of moral philosophy. While teaching at the University of Glasgow, Smith publicly expressed his views on economic liberalism and gradually formed his own economic views.

When we mention Adam Smith today, the first thing that comes to mind is his honorific title of "the father of modern economics". His huge contributions to the West and even the entire human society in the field of political economy almost overshadow his contributions to literature, philosophy The light of researchers. But Smith himself said that economics was not his academic field; he tended to consider himself more of a litterateur than an economist. In fact, the classic metaphor "The Invisible Hand" in "The Wealth of Nations" comes from the play "Macbeth" by the great British writer Shakespeare .

Later, Smith's teaching content gradually moved away from moral theory and focused on law and economics. At the end of 1763, Smith began to serve as a private tutor for the son of politician Charles Townshend

(Charles Townshend)

, so he resigned from his professorship at the university and traveled to Europe from 1764 to 1766, where he met many elite intellectuals. After returning to Scotland, Smith spent 10 years focusing on writing his masterpiece, The Wealth of Nations. This work aroused strong repercussions in the UK, and also went crazy on the European continent and the Americas. From this, Adam Smith was honored as "the father of modern economics" and "the patron saint of free enterprise".

In the field of literature and philosophy, Adam Smith was a pioneer in the field of English literature research, and was particularly interested in Shakespeare. The latter also had a non-negligible influence on Smith's future writing. The famous metaphor "The Invisible Hand" in "The Wealth of Nations" comes from Shakespeare's classic drama "Macbeth".

Act 3, Scene 2 of "Macbeth":

In addition to the "invisible hand", there are other shadows of "Macbeth" in "The Wealth of Nations". For example, when discussing the division of labor, Adam Smith compared several types of people with different breeds of dogs: “In terms of talent alone, the difference in talent and temperament between a philosopher and a porter is probably less than that between a mastiff and a mastiff. Half the difference from a greyhound, or half the difference between a greyhound and a spaniel, or even half the difference between a spaniel and a sheepdog." (Translated by Xie Zonglin and Li Huaxia)

In Act 3, Scene 1 of "Macbeth". , Shakespeare also compared several types of humans and dogs:

Macbeth: "Well, it stands to reason that you are also considered human beings. Just like domestic dogs, wild dogs, hounds, pugs, poodles, mutts, and mangy dogs are collectively called dogs. Similarly, some of them are sensitive, some are slow, some are cunning, some can guard doors, and some can hunt. Each has its own value according to the instinct given to them by creation, and gets a special name under the broad general name. No. The same goes for humans."(Translated by Zhu Shenghao)

Between 1762 and 1763, Adam Smith focused on Shakespeare in his classes at the University of Glasgow. Interestingly, Shakespeare did not have a good reputation at that time and was considered to be deviant and anti-religious. Representative, so Smith's academic interest in Shakespeare can be said to be quite radical. Shakespeare really attracted the world's attention after 1769. Smith's interest and appreciation of Shakespeare was obviously one step ahead of the world.

The poet William. Wordsworth

(William Wordsworth)

said that Shakespeare was an unusual genius, with "flaws and beauty complementing each other." Probably Adam Smith had the same view of Shakespeare. He seemed to appreciate Shakespeare's works, although Shakespeare's plays. Some obscene and violent language is incompatible with Adam Smith's gentle temperament. Shakespeare's biographer John Rae

said: "Adam Smith believed that although the plots of Shakespeare's plays are touching, they cannot be called "Shakespeare's plays." Excellent drama, although he has more dramatic talent than Trayden, Trayden is obviously a better poet'. "

Shakespeare

Shakespeare lived in an era of dramatic changes and development in British culture, and these influences continued until the age of Adam Smith. In his later years, Smith planned to write a great work - a work that encompassed literature, philosophy , poetry, rhetoric and other branches of philosophy, but people did not wait for the publication of this work

Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations" and Shakespeare's "The First Folio"

(The First Folio).

are both epic works, showing unprecedented richness in both topic and language; in addition, both works cleverly create a sense of vagueness and ambiguity - just like "A Thousand Human Eyes" There are a thousand Hamlets ", and readers can always interpret different artistic conceptions and thoughts from the same words and chapters.

References: 1. https://www.johnkay.com/2003/09/24/a -message-from-macbeth-and-adam-smith/

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam Smith

3. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-invisible-hand -william-shakespeare-influenced-adam-smith-180971905/

Author

: Beijing News reporter Xu Yuedong, intern Liang Yuru

Editor

: Qin Dansi; Proofreading : Xue Jingning