"Wealth, as Mr. Hobbes says, is power. But the person who either acquires or succeeds to a great fortune, does not necessarily acquire or succeeds to a great fortune, does not necessarily acquire or succeed to any political power, either civil or military. His fortune may, perhaps, afford him the means of acquiring both, but the mere possession of that fortune does not necessarily convey to him either."
To start, I would like to comment on the rambling that Smith goes on: It was told that Adam Smith was so absent minded that at one point in his life he just wandered and was so out of it, that people could not find him for three weeks. He was found later in only his underwear. Whether or not this story is true, it might explain why Smith seems to go on certain tangents about metal or coins.
Regarding the quote, I find this one in particular to be quite thought provoking. We all can agree that in any point in time it seems that the more money or land one has, the more power they have. But, at what point does that power shift from responsible distribution and compassion for the civil and military duties to greed and lust for power? Similar to the question I asked last week, what is to prevent someone who is born into power to not simply take power by paying his way up? What can Smith say to prevent something like this?
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