The Modern Society's Principle In State Building

As a leader of Scottish Enlightment, Adam Smith's thought has always been studied from the beginning. Many scholars, domestic or overseas, are often harassed by all kinds of Adam Smith Problems; moreover, some seemingly contradictory conclusions and advice in the Smith's works again and again. More importantly, although so many people criticized the commercial society, Smith still insisted on defending it. But once he wanted to do so, he must try to overcome a series of difficulties. In these difficulties, a central question is: when facing the victorical instances of state building through"virtue"in history, those societies which became corrupt on virtue for commercial activities should how to do to obtain victory in state building? If want to understand the answer of Smith on this question, we need to do work from the starting point of his thought. On the relation between the individual and the society, Smith takes the individual as the basic unit, and the society is only the collection of the individuals. The individual is the end. This is quite different from the way takes the society as a systematic organism. Meanwhile, Adam Smith makes the reason become the assistant of the sentiments. Through this transformation, the individual, rather than the society, becomes the center. Comparing to the individualism of Protestant ethic, we can find that the individual in Smith's thought has got the rid of all the outside authorities; this kind of individual is lonelier and more independent. In order to settle down the relation between the individual and the society, Smith sets up two principles: everybody has the best judgment on his own affairs; the justice is the base of the society. If apply these two principles to the international society, we may find that Smith takes a state in international society as an individual in one society. In this way we can understand the reason of he back on the Navigation Bill. On these bases, Adam Smith specifically explain the theory of free trade, the functions of government and the relation of the individual and the state, the relation of individual interest and the public interest. These facts show that the commercial societies which tolerate the wealth, luxury and the emulation between individuals can also maintain a kind of good order and obtain victory in state building. So the modern commercial society's principles in state building is to allow the ordinary individuals can have the right of liberty in the range of justice and law; through this means, a state can either ensure itself be independent from any other state, or provide fundamental liberties to its citizens. The reasons of this principle can succeed is that it is closer to the natural liberty, and it pays more attentions to the human nature.