Adam Smith thought

Fareed Zakaria interviews Wen Jiabao. The usual diplo-guff: It’s the sidebars that are interesting. Apparently, the Communist Party of China is holding high the banner of Adam Smith thought, advancing particularly under the guidance of the Theory of Moral Sentiments, apparently known to premier Wen as ‘you know, that other book he did. Thingy.’

If you are familiar with the classical works of Adam Smith, you know that there are two famous works of his. One is "The Wealth of Nations." The other is the book on the morality and ethics. And "The Wealth of Nations" deals more with the invisible hand, that is, there are the market forces. And the other book deals with social equity and justice. And in the other book he wrote, he stressed the importance of playing the regulatory role of the government to fairly distribute the wealth among the people.

If in a country most of the wealth is concentrated in the hands of the few, then this country can hardly witness harmony and stability.

He also comes out as a stoic. At any rate, he’s apparently read Marcus Aurelius’ meditations “100 times”, which surely takes some endurance. Chris will be pleased.

Comments

[Chris Brooke]

From the interview: And I was very deeply impressed by the words that he [= Marcus Aurelius] wrote in the book to the effect that, where are those people who were great for a time? They are all gone, living only a story, or some even just half a story.

This allows me to reproduce my favourite Marcus Aurelius-themed joke, which is that in the first modern Latin translation of the Meditations, one of the Emperor's
characteristic reflections on the brevity of human life ("Yesterday, a drop of mucus; tomorrow, a mummy's ashes") was rendered as "Yesterday a fish; tomorrow, salted cod"!

Bill Clinton also said that the Meditations was one of his favourite books, something which always fascintated Garry Wills, who thought Clinton was about as unStoic as they get.

The bit you've quoted in the post, by the way, is a really shit description of the contents of the Theory of Moral Sentiments.

[jamie]

Surely, but the guy's a politician: books have uses, not meanings. Consider the use made by David Cameron of Ian McEwen's latest scrawny volume.

[Madam Miaow]

Adam Smith??!!! In the People's Republic? Why are they brown-nosing the west like this?

Jeez! 3,000 billionaires and they're still making like they're socialist or sumthin".

BTW, Chris, what's your second Marcus Aurelius joke? (Max respect if you have one.)

[Madam Miaow]

"After this year's disastrous earthquake in Sichuan, he flew immediately to the devastated area, went out among the people to comfort them and met with many individually. He's more like an American politician than a Chinese apparatchik.

JEEZAS FRIGGIN' KER-RIST! What's being assumed here? Zakaria, kindly read Said on Orientalism or do something to get over your lazy buying-in to the dehumanised Chinese stereotype.

Yes, we're all cruel, we all need to take lessons on kindness from the West.

Not!

[jamie]

"He's more like an American politician"

That isn't necessarily a complement :-). The thing about Wen these days is that he doesn't have any executive responsibilities to speak of any more (the premier's supposed to exercise general supervision over the economy)and so he's been put to work as the face of the regime: visiting earthquake victims, going on CNN etc. Someone with mnore than symbolic power in China isn't going to let himself get patted on the head by Fareed Zakaria. In this context it's his job to be patronised.

[Chris Brooke]

My second favourite Marcus Aurelius-themed joke? Well, it's the oldie-but-goodie:

-- What does the Stoic Emperor Marcus Aurelius ask for at the kebab van?

-- I'd like you to make me one with everything.

[ejh]

Sounds familiar