The moral jurisprudence of Adam Smith

Countless scholars have examined Adam Smith's theories as they pertained to economic policy in the commercial stage. This essay reiterates that Smith was more than an economist. He was also a moral philosopher whose ethical principles were the foundation for his economic and legal theories. I shall demonstrate that not only did Smith's moral rules and the enforcement of those rules differ according to the stage of society, but that those moral rules were "general rules" which arose on account of mans self-interest. I shall also demonstrate that the general rules were the principles which cause societies to evolve through stages. I conclude that Smith's moral rules were the principles which he thought ought to be the foundation for the laws of all nations.