29 lines
872 B
Markdown
29 lines
872 B
Markdown
<!-- generated: provider=openrouter model=arcee-ai/trinity-large-preview:free date=2026-02-19 source=book-3-chapter-04 -->
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# Commercial Family Duration Pattern
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## Definition
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The observation that very old families possessing considerable estates for many
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generations are rare in commercial countries but common in countries with little
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commerce, explained by the tendency of commercial wealth to dissipate through
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extravagant personal spending while simple agricultural societies maintain
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wealth within families.
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## Source Chapter
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Book III, Chapter 4
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## Context
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Smith's final observation on the social effects of commerce, noting that
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commercial countries see wealth dissipate through vanity and lack of bounds on
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personal expense, while simple nations maintain family wealth through the
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consumable nature of their property.
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## Economic Domain
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General Theory
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---
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