1. What, if anything, do we need to do to make the two excerpts from Adam Smith compatible? Why? Explain.
It is very difficult to make a pessimist and an optimist agree, some may say it is impossible. The same could be said about Smith’s passage. His view on Technology went from one extreme to the other, in what seemed like a very short time. Smith believed that the new technology (machines) would allow more people to become “experts in his own peculiar branch” (Bilsker 30). The workers would produce more and profits would rise. By the end of his passage, the “honeymoon stage” was over. He no longer believed that technology was good for man. He believed that man will become “stupid an ignorant” (Bilsker 32) if he continues to rely …show more content…
each):
#1 page 35: Discuss the ways that Smith is optimistic about technology and the division of labor in the early passage.
Smith was very optimistic about the use of technology and the division of labor in the early stage of his passage. He observed workers were more productive and more products could be made when technology was implemented. The work itself became easier on the laborer. Workers no longer need to learn every aspect of a company. Each worker learns and ultimately masters his own area. By departmentalizing the company, more work is being accomplished, allowing the company to increase profit.
Smith also noticed that workers would find ways to make their own jobs easier. This produced new machines to do the job of the workers. He gave the example of a boy who wanted to spend less time working and more time playing. The boy invented a machine to do simplify his own work and in the process his job became obsolete (Bilsker 30).
The boy’s determination, ingenuity, and laziness cost him his livelihood. Smith observed that while production was up and workers were masters at their jobs, many companies were starting to replace the workers with the machines that were built to help them in the first
It is very difficult to make a pessimist and an optimist agree, some may say it is impossible. The same could be said about Smith’s passage. His view on Technology went from one extreme to the other, in what seemed like a very short time. Smith believed that the new technology (machines) would allow more people to become “experts in his own peculiar branch” (Bilsker 30). The workers would produce more and profits would rise. By the end of his passage, the “honeymoon stage” was over. He no longer believed that technology was good for man. He believed that man will become “stupid an ignorant” (Bilsker 32) if he continues to rely …show more content…
each):
#1 page 35: Discuss the ways that Smith is optimistic about technology and the division of labor in the early passage.
Smith was very optimistic about the use of technology and the division of labor in the early stage of his passage. He observed workers were more productive and more products could be made when technology was implemented. The work itself became easier on the laborer. Workers no longer need to learn every aspect of a company. Each worker learns and ultimately masters his own area. By departmentalizing the company, more work is being accomplished, allowing the company to increase profit.
Smith also noticed that workers would find ways to make their own jobs easier. This produced new machines to do the job of the workers. He gave the example of a boy who wanted to spend less time working and more time playing. The boy invented a machine to do simplify his own work and in the process his job became obsolete (Bilsker 30).
The boy’s determination, ingenuity, and laziness cost him his livelihood. Smith observed that while production was up and workers were masters at their jobs, many companies were starting to replace the workers with the machines that were built to help them in the first