tegwick
2d1282a61e
Restructure entity storage from per-chapter subdirectories to a flat
canonical set in output/entities/. Each entity exists as a single file;
duplicates across chapters are detected by slug collision and skipped
(first occurrence wins). Chapter views use {{ include }} transclusion
to reference shared entity files.
Add @{existing_entities} macro to extract-entities template so the LLM
knows which entities already exist and focuses on genuinely new ones.
Refactor _call_llm() from _execute_llm() for callers that handle their
own file I/O. 41 unique entities from 4 chapters (2 duplicates removed).
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
1.2 KiB
Self-interest
Definition
The motivation of individuals to pursue their own advantage in economic transactions. Smith argues that in civilised society, individuals obtain the co-operation of others not through appeals to benevolence but by engaging their self-love — showing them that it is to their own advantage to provide what is desired. Self-interest is the engine that makes exchange function: each party to a bargain acts from regard to their own benefit.
Source Chapter
Book I, Chapter 2: "Of the Principle which gives Occasion to the Division of Labour"
Context
Smith introduces self-interest through the celebrated passage about the butcher, brewer, and baker. He contrasts it with benevolence, arguing that we cannot rely on the goodwill of others for our daily needs in a society of many, and that self-interest provides a more reliable and universal basis for economic co-operation.
Economic Domain
General Theory
Smith's Original Wording
"It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity, but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities, but of their advantages."