Adam Smith's two books form a sequence: the Moral Sentiments posits a strong natural penchant for coordinated sentiment (sympathy), consistent with our solidaristic hunter-gatherer origins, while the Wealth of Nations authorizes self-interest to be 'cut loose' because, when we think hard about how concatenations work, focusing on the local works out better for making things like the woolen coat.
factualpending
Speaker
Dan KleinEvidence Quote
“I see Smith is like authorizing this now our self-interest to be cut loose so in a sense he's really starting with the solid derek impulse and then saying folks we should now authorize the self-interest because it works better to make the woolen coat”
Created: 6/15/2026, 9:36:53 AM
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