Smith’te Tutarlılık Tartışması Bağlamında Görünmez El Metaforu ve Kendiliğinden Doğan Düzenin İktisat ve Toplum Açısından Önemi

Özet

This study, deals with the emergence of political economy along with the production of goods andservices depending on the capital accumulation process. The Smithian impact in resolving the linkbetween the definition of political economy and distribution and accumulation shall be explained.Moreover, the view that Smith’s works titled The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of theNations contain consistency rather than inconsistency are evaluated in the study. Smith deals with themarket and political process in his work titled The Wealth of the Nations. Therefore, it is expressedthat the bases of political economy have been established by his work. Moreover, Smith evaluates themoral philosophy in his work titled The Theory of Moral Sentiments which focuses on the importanceof concepts like utility and ethics. Accordingly, that the thinkers of Scottish Enlightenment focuson emotions instead of mind and then Smith’s tendency towards emotional rationality realized inconsistency are expressed and that these thinkers are turning towards the concept of sympathy isemphasized in this study. Smith, one of the thinkers of Scottish Enlightenment, attempted to describethe desire of people to be accepted, adopted and esteemed in society by the concept of sympathy.Furthermore, Smith mentions that there is a relationship between the concept of sympathy and ethicalvalues. In this context, this study explains the assessment of the concept of sympathy from a socialand ethical point of view by the thinkers of Scottish Enlightenment. In addition, it is argued that theidea of spontaneous order and the invisible hand metaphor in Smith have integrity with Smith’s MoralSentiments Theory. Smith, with the idea of spontaneous order, claims that individuals are pursuingtheir self-interest in the commercial society, as a result, a collective development can be achieved bythis way. In the spontaneous order, there are cooperations and exchanges in the market among people.On the other hand, Smith expresses that public good will reach the highest level with the invisiblehand metaphor. Besides, the invisible hand metaphor is an instrument which balance both marketand society that has the function of regulatory force. This study, discusses the importance of Smith’sinvisible hand metaphor and spontaneous order for economy and society. In the study, it is emphasizedon the argument that Smith’s invisible hand metaphor can be explained with work titled The MoralSentiments Theory. Nevertheless, it is evaluated that the principle of sympathy in The Moral SentimentsTheory is referred to the sense of competition in The Wealth of the Nations and the economic life of thebuyer and the seller is realized in a consistent way. In this context, the purpose of the study is to revealand discuss whether Smith’s invisible hand metaphor and the idea of spontaneous order and also hisideas on economics, society and morality in general are linked to each other or not. As a consequenceof the study, it is stated that Smith had tendency toward the ideal of integrating economics and moralbehavior in The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of the Nations. Moreover, in general, thatthe Scottish Enlightenment thinkers referred to moral values rather than to the self-interested reasonand the discipline of the political economy has developed with Smith is manifested.