869 B
869 B
Commercial Hospitality Contrast
Definition
The fundamental difference between traditional rural hospitality based on consuming surplus produce locally with retainers and dependents, and modern commercial society where wealth is spent on manufactured goods and personal consumption rather than maintaining large numbers of dependent followers.
Source Chapter
Book III, Chapter 4
Context
Smith uses historical examples from medieval England and Scottish Highlands to illustrate how commerce and manufactures transformed the spending habits of the wealthy from maintaining large retinues to purchasing manufactured goods, thereby breaking the power of great proprietors over their dependents.
Economic Domain
Consumption