Some Contemporary Ethical Issues Concerning Adam Smith’s “The Wealth of Nations”

Abstract

As time goes on, interpretations of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations (TWN) evolve. Most contemporary readers are unaware of
Smith’s prior work and assume that TWN, whose purview is strictly economics, is his sole monument to the history of ideas; their views
concerning Smith and capitalism, as may be common today, therefore, are often devoid of ethical content. Examined from a contemporary lense,
which, admittedly, may be different than Smith’s original intention, can we indeed say, as ethicists would argue, that TWN, examined alone,
provides society with an ethical system, which makes life better? What are some key questions that may be asked from the contemporary view?
While the results are inconclusive, it is abundantly clear that Smith’s TWN, viewed independently, has profound implications for business-ethical
praxis today.