Progress and Decline in the Wealth of Nations

Authors

  • Bruno Ruffier UFRGS

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.48075/ra.v11i1.31159

Abstract

The present study explores how Smith's teleological reading of history, understood as inevitably progressive, can be reconciled with the diagnoses and prognoses of decline and decadence also present in "The Wealth of Nations." In this regard, the diagnoses offered by Smith regarding the causes of the decline and decadence of the Roman Empire and the Spanish Empire are analyzed, as well as his prognosis regarding the possibility of economic stagnation and the consequent establishment of unhappiness in modern commercial societies. It is expected that the analysis of Smith's observations in these two cases can shed light on why the natural movement towards progress is interrupted, how decline can be a possibility within a progressive historical system, and what Smith's view of history would be.

Published

31-07-2023

How to Cite

RUFFIER, B. Progress and Decline in the Wealth of Nations. Alamedas, [S. l.], v. 11, n. 1, p. 101–114, 2023. DOI: 10.48075/ra.v11i1.31159. Disponível em: https://e-revista.unioeste.br/index.php/alamedas/article/view/31159. Acesso em: 18 may. 2024.

Issue

Section

Artigos e Ensaios