critically explain the adam smith definition
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Answer:
Adam Smith was a Scottish philosopher, widely considered as the first modern economist. Smith defined economics as “an inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations.”
Criticism of Smith’s Definition
The wealth-centric definition of economics limited its scope as a subject and was seen as narrow and inaccurate. Smith’s definition forced the subject to ignore all non-wealth aspects of human existence.
The Smithian definition over-emphasized the material aspects of well-being and ignored the non-material aspects. It was assumed that human beings acted as rational economic agents who mindlessly strived to maximize their own well-being.
The Smithian definition prevents the subject from exploring the concept of resource scarcity. The allocation and use of scarce resources are seen as a central topic of analysis in modern economics.