The Construction Of "a Commercial Society"

In Western Europe, the Eighteenth-century, not only is an enlightened century, but also a century when a commercial society is rising gradually. Just in such a background, Adam Smith sets about his travel of thinking which centers on the notion of "a commercial society", and studies the essential principles about the mankind's blessedness. About before 1970s, in Western academic circles, Adam Smith is only read as an economist or an ethicist. From then on, the study about him appears extraordinary splendor, but there is still no the study in which from the viewpoint of the Scottish Enlightenment, and by virtue of the theme of "a commercial society", the ideas of Adam Smith is comprehensively surveyed as a whole. So, the above task will be as the object of the study of this treatise.In the first chapter, I will try to educe Adam Smith's idea of "a commercial society", from the two viewpoints of history and theory. Firstly, by describing the background of the Western Europe, especially Scotland, of the eighteenth century, I want to discuss that Adam Smith's "commercial society" is a reflection and reconstruction of that time. Secondly, by surveying the "conjectural history" or "theoretical history" which is often used by many Scottish thinkers of that time, I want to describe Adam Smith's the four-stages theory, that is there are in turn the nations of hunters, shepherds, husbandmen, and merchants in mankind's history, and accordingly, I will infer that Adam Smith regards the "commercial society" as the center of his study.In the second chapter, I will try to illustrate Smith's "commercial society" is a one where the self-interest nature of man can be released enough, and public good can be realized enough by this means. Smith corrects the traditional moral ideas by revealing man's two nature of "sympathy" and "propriety", and so, frees the people from the traditional view about virtue, and further show "prudence" and "justice" is the essential virtue in the "commercial society". At last, I want to point out that the "self-interest" mentioned by Smith includes two meanings-"self-preservation" and "vanity", and by the theory of the "invisible hand", I want to argue that the society will obtain improve if mankind's self-interest nature can be released enough. But. there is a condition that individual's actions must be restricted by a system, that is to say, he must obey the law of justice.In third chapter, I will try to illustrate Adam Smith's "commercial society" is such a society where citizens are ruled by law, so the range of the government's power is limited largely, beginning with the two principles of utility and power, Smith illustrates it is necessary that the civil government appears and exists, and accordingly, criticizes the contract theory about the origin of society which is represented by the theory of Lock, In view of his theory on the government how to origin, Smith discusses the range of the government's function in the "commercial society". He concludes that in such society, the duty of the government is to insure the citizens can enjoy the safety under the law, and to let them improve themselves' condition according to themselves' will. And believing in everyone is best familiar in his own affairs, Smith concludes that the government neither has the power and nor the capability to interfere in the citizens' private space, and the citizens need only act by law. Accordingly, Smith thinks the citizen's liberty lies in the specific items of the law, not in the participation in the process of lawmaking.In the fourth chapter, from the viewpoint of the wealth of nations and its growth, I will try to illustrate Smith's "commercial society" is a opulent one, but the opulence results from "spontaneousness" not from "artificiality". I consider that Smith firstly advances his view about wealth of nations, in order to criticize the policies of the restraint of trade prevailing in eighteenth-century West, and finally has established the principle about nations how to become wealthy, that is the one of "free trade". Then, by surveying division of labour and the accumulation of capital, Smith establishes the new theory on how to increase wealth, according to which the increase should be realized by the spontaneous order. In this way, he has established the correct view of production and consumption by criticizing the consumptive policies of that time, which has obstructed the increase of wealth of nations. Finally, to completely carry out his idea of "free competition", Smith focuses on the question of English Northern American Colonies, which is the concentrated reflection to the mercantile system. He warns that citizens should enjoy "natural liberty", that is to say, they have the right to pursue themselves' blessedness according to themselves' way .In this way, Adam Smith has established the "economic free" idea of the "commercial society" on theoretical and practical dimensions.In the fifth chapter, I will try to show Smith has surpassed the contemporary thinkers in the aspect of the ideas of the "commercial society", by showing several different kinds of attitudes that the contemporary thinkers holds about it. One side, Smith praises the "commercial society" for that it can bring opulence and liberty to mankind, and anther side, with the very calm attitude, he profoundly analyzes the evils which have appeared or will appear in the "commercial society". He thinks, as the result of the division of labour, these evils represent mainly in three aspects: the common labourers is stupid and silly; the people become weak in both their bodies and their spirits; the public debts become heavy and have the danger to destroy the nations. But aiming at the problems, Smith advances corresponding methods, namely, adopting new type of the method of civic education; replacing a militia with a standing army which takes on the task of the national defence; using the policies that can increase the sources of income and decrease the expenses. But Smith is not a superficial optimist, so he never believes in that these evils can be resolved completely. He believes only in that by contrast of the other three societies, the "commercial society" can better realize the mankind's blessedness.In a word, although the individual "liberty" that Smith often refers to seems only the individual "economic liberty", Smith's idea of a "commercial society" not only holds the immortal status in the history of the idea of classic liberalism, but also has established a eternal truth for mankind: people should obtain opulence through liberty, and lead to liberty in the opulence, in view that economic liberty is not only the main part of the liberty, but also is the basis on which citizens possess the other parts of liberty.