Disaster Relief: What Would Adam Smith Do?

Authors

Jonathan B. Wight, University of RichmondFollow

Abstract

An earthquake kills more than 150,000 people in Asia. How should we as individuals respond? Is government obliged to help those in need simply because they are members of society? Should the private market or the government take charge of relief? These questions were posed by Adam Smith, the Scottish moral philosopher and promoter of markets, in 1759. Like his questions, his answers also resound today.

Document Type

News Article

Publication Date

2005

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2005, The Christian Science Publishing Society. This article first appeared in The Christian Science Monitor (2005).

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Recommended Citation

Wight, Jonathan. "Disaster Relief: What Would Adam Smith Do?" The Christian Science Monitor, January 18, 2005. http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0118/p09s02-coop.html.