Smith at 300: the Dignity of Trade

Abstract

This short paper is part of a symposium to celebrate Adam Smith's tricentenary. The appeal to the self-love of the butcher, brewer, and baker is the most powerful statement of the equal dignity that all individuals have. When we can trade, we don’t have to be like dogs or like beggars. It is not just an effective way of getting dinner. It is also a moral claim of equality among human beings. Depriving someone of the opportunity to trade means depriving them of their dignity as human beings. Allowing people to trade is to recognize their moral equality and equal dignity.