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Critical thinking in a Nutshell., An Introduction to Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations.

An Introduction to Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations.

Welcome to the Macat Multimedia Series.

A Macat Analysis of Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations. How can countries economically prosper?

Moral philosopher and pioneer of political economy, Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations in 1776. It is commonly considered the first modern work of economics and introduced many concepts that later became central to economic thought. The main aim of Smith's book was to identify the causes of prosperity within a country.

Amongst many elements he identified, he saw three as being of particular importance. These were the division of labour, the nature of wages and foreign markets. But how do these three factors work to increase prosperity? Let's imagine an English factory that makes pins.

In order for them to become prosperous, the owners decide to read Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations. ● First, they decide to look at their division of labour.

The factory owners currently employ 100 people to make pins. So each person will first straighten out the wire, cut it up, sharpen it, finish if off and then package the finished pins. But they read Smith's assertion that productivity could be improved if employees focus on one specific task only. So, instead of each worker making a pin from start to finish, the factory owners decide to give each employee a certain job. One will straighten the wire, another will cut it up, another will package the finished pins and this coordination dramatically reduces production time. ● Secondly, the factory owners consider wages.

If all factory workers receive equal wages despite doing different jobs, they would all want the easiest jobs – creating a shortage for certain tasks. The factory owners' solution is to pay those with the hardest jobs the most money – and those with the easiest ones, less.

● Thirdly, the factory owners look to foreign markets.

Smith believed that prosperity could be better achieved by trading with other countries. He challenged the dominant economic ideology of the time, Merchantilism – which was the belief that a country could best increase its wealth by levying trade tariffs on competitors. So suppose England has many pin factories because it's successful at pin-making. And lets say France is bad at making pins but good at making wine. The benefit that Smith pointed out can now be seen. By trading what they are good at, both countries benefit and prosper as a result. Smith's book, The Wealth of Nations was his magnum opus – and it offers one of the world's first collected descriptions of what builds a nations' wealth.

A more detailed examination of his ideas can be found in the Macat Analysis.

An Introduction to Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations. Eine Einführung in Adam Smiths Der Reichtum der Nationen. Εισαγωγή στον Πλούτο των Εθνών του Άνταμ Σμιθ. An Introduction to Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations. Introducción a La riqueza de las naciones de Adam Smith. Introduction à la richesse des nations d'Adam Smith. Introduzione a La ricchezza delle nazioni di Adam Smith. アダムスミスの「国富論」の紹介。 Įvadas į Adamo Smitho veikalą "Tautų turtas". Introdução à obra de Adam Smith A Riqueza das Nações. Введение в книгу Адама Смита "Богатство народов". Adam Smith'in Ulusların Zenginliği'ne Giriş. Вступ до "Багатства народів" Адама Сміта. 亚当斯密的国富论简介。

Welcome to the Macat Multimedia Series. Macatマルチメディアシリーズへようこそ。 歡迎來到 Macat 多媒體系列。

A Macat Analysis of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations. アダム・スミスの国富論のマカット分析。 亞當斯密《國富論》的麥卡特分析。 How can countries economically prosper? Come possono i paesi prosperare economicamente? 国はどのようにして経済的に繁栄することができますか？ Como os países podem prosperar economicamente? 國家怎樣才能實現經濟繁榮？

Moral philosopher and pioneer of political economy, Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations in 1776. Filosofo morale e pioniere dell'economia politica, Adam Smith scrisse La ricchezza delle nazioni nel 1776. 道徳哲学者であり、政治経済学の先駆者であるアダム・スミスは、1776年に国富論を書きました。 Filósofo moral e pioneiro da economia política, Adam Smith escreveu A Riqueza das Nações em 1776. 道德哲學家、政治經濟學先驅亞當‧斯密於 1776 年撰寫了《國富論》。 It is commonly considered the first modern work of economics and introduced many concepts that later became central to economic thought. それは一般に経済学の最初の現代の仕事と考えられており、後に経済思想の中心となった多くの概念を導入しました。 É comumente considerado o primeiro trabalho moderno de economia e introduziu muitos conceitos que mais tarde se tornaram centrais para o pensamento econômico. 它通常被認為是第一部現代經濟學著作，並引入了許多後來成為經濟思想核心的概念。 The main aim of Smith’s book was to identify the causes of prosperity within a country. Das Hauptziel von Smiths Buch war es, die Ursachen für den Wohlstand in einem Land zu ermitteln. L'obiettivo principale del libro di Smith era quello di individuare le cause della prosperità all'interno di un Paese. スミスの本の主な目的は、国内の繁栄の原因を特定することでした。 O principal objetivo do livro de Smith era identificar as causas da prosperidade dentro de um país. 史密斯這本書的主要目的是找出一個國家繁榮的原因。

Amongst many elements he identified, he saw three as being of particular importance. Tra i molti elementi individuati, ne considerava tre di particolare importanza. 彼が特定した多くの要素の中で、彼は3つが特に重要であると考えました。 Entre muitos elementos que identificou, três foram considerados de particular importância. 在他所確定的許多要素中，他認為有三個要素特別重要。 These were the division of labour, the nature of wages and foreign markets. Il s'agit de la division du travail, de la nature des salaires et des marchés étrangers. これらは、分業、賃金の性質、および海外市場でした。 Estes eram a divisão do trabalho, a natureza dos salários e os mercados estrangeiros. But how do these three factors work to increase prosperity? しかし、これらの3つの要素は、繁栄を高めるためにどのように機能するのでしょうか。 Mas como esses três fatores funcionam para aumentar a prosperidade? Let’s imagine an English factory that makes pins. Immaginiamo una fabbrica inglese che produce spilli. ピンを作る英国の工場を想像してみましょう。 Imaginemos uma fábrica inglesa de alfinetes.

In order for them to become prosperous, the owners decide to read Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations. Um zu Wohlstand zu gelangen, beschließen die Eigentümer, Adam Smiths Der Reichtum der Nationen zu lesen. Per farli diventare prosperi, i proprietari decidono di leggere La ricchezza delle nazioni di Adam Smith. 彼らが繁栄するために、所有者はアダム・スミスの「国富論」を読むことにしました。 Para que eles se tornem prósperos, os proprietários decidem ler A Riqueza das Nações, de Adam Smith. ● First, they decide to look at their division of labour. In primo luogo, decidono di esaminare la loro divisione del lavoro. ●まず、彼らは自分たちの分業を見ることを決心します。 ● Primeiro, eles decidem olhar para sua divisão de trabalho.

The factory owners currently employ 100 people to make pins. I proprietari della fabbrica impiegano attualmente 100 persone per la produzione di spille. 工場の所有者は現在、ピンを作るために100人を雇用しています。 Os donos da fábrica empregam atualmente 100 pessoas para fabricar alfinetes. So each person will first straighten out the wire, cut it up, sharpen it, finish if off and then package the finished pins. Jede Person wird also zunächst den Draht begradigen, ihn zuschneiden, anspitzen, fertigstellen und dann die fertigen Stifte verpacken. Chaque personne doit donc d'abord redresser le fil, le couper, l'aiguiser, le finir et emballer les épingles finies. Quindi ognuno raddrizzerà il filo, lo taglierà, lo affilerà, lo rifinirà e poi confezionerà gli spilli finiti. そのため、各自が最初にワイヤーをまっすぐにし、切断し、研ぎ、オフの場合は仕上げてから、完成したピンを梱包します。 Assim, cada pessoa primeiro endireitará o fio, cortará, afiará, finalizará e depois embalará os pinos acabados. But they read Smith’s assertion that productivity could be improved if employees focus on one specific task only. Aber sie lasen Smiths Behauptung, dass die Produktivität verbessert werden kann, wenn sich die Mitarbeiter nur auf eine bestimmte Aufgabe konzentrieren. Mais ils ont lu l'affirmation de Smith selon laquelle la productivité pourrait être améliorée si les employés se concentraient sur une seule tâche spécifique. Ma hanno letto l'affermazione di Smith secondo cui la produttività potrebbe essere migliorata se i dipendenti si concentrassero solo su un compito specifico. しかし、彼らは、従業員が1つの特定のタスクのみに集中すれば、生産性が向上する可能性があるというスミスの主張を読みました。 Mas eles leram a afirmação de Smith de que a produtividade poderia ser melhorada se os funcionários se concentrassem em apenas uma tarefa específica. So, instead of each worker making a pin from start to finish, the factory owners decide to give each employee a certain job. Così, invece di far realizzare a ciascun operaio una spilla dall'inizio alla fine, i proprietari della fabbrica decidono di assegnare a ciascun dipendente un determinato lavoro. したがって、各労働者が最初から最後までピンを作る代わりに、工場の所有者は各従業員に特定の仕事を与えることにします。 Assim, em vez de cada trabalhador fazer um alfinete do início ao fim, os donos da fábrica decidem dar a cada funcionário um determinado trabalho. One will straighten the wire, another will cut it up, another will package the finished pins and this coordination dramatically reduces production time. Uno raddrizza il filo, un altro lo taglia, un altro ancora confeziona i perni finiti e questo coordinamento riduce drasticamente i tempi di produzione. Um vai endireitar o fio, outro vai cortá-lo, outro vai embalar os pinos acabados e essa coordenação reduz drasticamente o tempo de produção. ● Secondly, the factory owners consider wages. ● Em segundo lugar, os donos das fábricas consideram os salários.

If all factory workers receive equal wages despite doing different jobs, they would all want the easiest jobs – creating a shortage for certain tasks. Se todos os trabalhadores da fábrica recebessem salários iguais apesar de fazerem trabalhos diferentes, todos iriam querer os trabalhos mais fáceis – criando uma escassez para certas tarefas. The factory owners' solution is to pay those with the hardest jobs the most money – and those with the easiest ones, less. A solução dos donos da fábrica é pagar mais àqueles com os trabalhos mais difíceis – e aqueles com os mais fáceis, menos.

● Thirdly, the factory owners look to foreign markets. ● Em terceiro lugar, os donos das fábricas buscam mercados estrangeiros.

Smith believed that prosperity could be better achieved by trading with other countries. Smith glaubte, dass Wohlstand besser durch Handel mit anderen Ländern erreicht werden kann. Smith acreditava que a prosperidade poderia ser melhor alcançada pelo comércio com outros países. He challenged the dominant economic ideology of the time, Merchantilism – which was the belief that a country could best increase its wealth by levying trade tariffs on competitors. Er wandte sich gegen die damals vorherrschende Wirtschaftsideologie, den Merchantilismus, der davon ausging, dass ein Land seinen Wohlstand am besten durch die Erhebung von Handelszöllen auf Konkurrenten steigern konnte. Il a remis en question l'idéologie économique dominante de l'époque, le mercantilisme, qui consistait à croire qu'un pays pouvait accroître sa richesse en imposant des droits de douane à ses concurrents. Egli sfidò l'ideologia economica dominante dell'epoca, il mercantilismo, ovvero la convinzione che un Paese potesse aumentare al meglio la propria ricchezza imponendo tariffe commerciali ai concorrenti. Ele desafiou a ideologia econômica dominante da época, o mercantilismo – que era a crença de que um país poderia aumentar sua riqueza impondo tarifas comerciais aos concorrentes. So suppose England has many pin factories because it’s successful at pin-making. Nehmen wir an, England hat viele Stecknadelfabriken, weil es erfolgreich in der Stecknadelherstellung ist. Supponiamo che l'Inghilterra abbia molte fabbriche di spilli perché ha successo nella produzione di spilli. Então, suponha que a Inglaterra tenha muitas fábricas de alfinetes porque é bem-sucedida na fabricação de alfinetes. And lets say France is bad at making pins but good at making wine. E diciamo che la Francia non è brava a produrre spilli, ma è brava a produrre vino. The benefit that Smith pointed out can now be seen. Il vantaggio evidenziato da Smith è ora visibile. By trading what they are good at, both countries benefit and prosper as a result. Durch den Handel mit dem, was sie gut können, profitieren beide Länder, und das Ergebnis ist Wohlstand. Smith’s book, The Wealth of Nations was his magnum opus – and it offers one of the world’s first collected descriptions of what builds a nations' wealth. Smiths Buch The Wealth of Nations war sein Hauptwerk - und es bietet eine der weltweit ersten gesammelten Beschreibungen dessen, was den Reichtum einer Nation ausmacht. Il libro di Smith, La ricchezza delle nazioni, è stato il suo magnum opus e offre una delle prime descrizioni raccolte al mondo di ciò che costruisce la ricchezza di una nazione.

A more detailed examination of his ideas can be found in the Macat Analysis. Um exame mais pormenorizado das suas ideias pode ser encontrado na Análise Macat.