576 B
576 B
Self-Love
Definition
The natural human concern for one's own advantage and well-being, which Smith identifies as the more reliable foundation for economic cooperation than benevolence, since individuals are more responsive to their own interests than to others' needs.
Source Chapter
Book I, Chapter 2
Context
Smith argues that we address ourselves not to the humanity but to the self-love of economic actors, establishing self-interest as the fundamental principle that makes economic exchange possible and reliable.
Economic Domain
General Theory