Adam Smith’s Four Stages of Social Development Theory (VİDEO)
Adam Smith’s theory of social development examines human history by dividing it into four fundamental stages: hunting, pastoralism, agriculture, and commerce. According to this theory, the progress of societies is built not on intellectual accumulation, but on economic factors and the expansion of property rights. Smith views the most advanced stage, commercial society, as the pinnacle of civilization where the individual gains independence and legal freedoms are institutionalized. The market mechanism and the “invisible hand” that emerge in this process transform selfish desires into social benefit, ensuring the distribution of wealth. However, this economic freedom must be supported by state interventions in education and justice to counter the risks of moral corruption and monopolization brought about by the division of labor. Ultimately, the video comprehensively summarizes the inseparable link between economic transformation, individual rights, and the modern political order.