Özet:

Undoubtedly, Adam Smith is an important theorist of economy and is often referred to in the literature as the leading and founding of economic liberalism. However, he is not only an economist, but also a holistic social theorist. Therefore, it is undeniable that his economic theory is based on an ethical basis. However, it is often stated that he developed two different conflicting designs of human nature in his two important works published while he was alive, The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations, and therefore fell into an inconsistency in his social theory. Allegedly, while aiming to build an ethical system based on sympathy in The Theory of Moral Sentiments, he develops a selfish human design in the pursuit of self-interest in The Wealth of Nations. This is interpreted as a clear statement that Smith has fallen into a contradiction in his system. The main subject of this article is to examine the problem referred to as the ‘Adam Smith Problem’ in the literature. In this context, first of all, it will be examined our philosopher’s ethical system based on sympathy, followed his political-economic system based on self-interest, and then the claim of inconsistency put forward will be examined from different perspectives.