Speaker
Description
A common sense of liberal aspiration imputes in Adam Smith's work, more precisely within The Wealth of Nations, a relationship between human nature as an essential substrate for the emergence of capitalism. Which consonates with a deduction focused on the selfish aspect and the human propensity to exchange, as general trends that would guide the process. However, human nature is open to a greater range of facets, linked to the moral aspects arising from sympathy, as presented within The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Needing a mediation to establish an effective connection between the human essence and social economic development. In the same sense, the way in which there is social cohesion in capitalism, expressed by the idea of the invisible hand, does not necessarily imply harmony. This question takes on greater hues in the face of the way in which social classes are presented, starting from the perspective of antagonistic demands that do not form a common set of ideas of social progress and well-being. In this way, there is “a leap of faith” between the issues of human nature, the historical formation of classes and the social cohesion present in capitalism. In this way, the present work seeks to reflect and present the limits of the influence that human nature has on the formation of capitalism within the work of Adam Smith, having as a mediating factor his particular view of social classes.
| Organization | Federal University of Rio de Janeiro |
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