Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations

It is central thesis of Smith's "e;The Wealth of Nations"e; is that our individual need to fulfill self-interest results in societal benefit, in what is known as his "e;invisible hand"e;. Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations in 1776 to criticize mercantilism, which was the primary economic system at the time. Under mercantilism, it was believed that wealth was finite. Prosperity could be increas...