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Stenka25 Posted 12 years ago
Vocabulary

Pronoun problem

The sentence below is from ‘Wealth of Nations’, by Adam Smith.
In the sentence I’m not completely sure about what the underlined it represents.
It seems to stand for ‘division of labour’ in a way, and also to represent ‘human wisdom.’

Can you tell me which and the reason, if you can.

Thanks in advance.

http://www.bartleby.com/10/102.html
THIS division of labour, from which so many advantages are derived, is not originally the effect of any human wisdom, which foresees and intends that general opulence to which it gives occasion.
  

Top answer

I must admit that I find the comma after "wisdom" confusing. I'm going to assume it shouldn't be there, at least not according to modern punctuation conventions. I believe that "it" refers to "this division of labour" because the division of labour giving rise to wealth (opulence) is one of the main points of what he is saying.

— GPY

  • I must admit that I find the comma after "wisdom" confusing.
  • I'm going to assume it shouldn't be there, at least not according to modern punctuation conventions.
  • I believe that "it" refers to "this division of labour" because the division of labour giving rise to wealth (opulence) is one of the main points of what he is saying.
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3 Answers
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I must admit that I find the comma after "wisdom" confusing. I'm going to assume it shouldn't be there, at least not according to modern punctuation conventions. I believe that "it" refers to "this division of labour" because the division of labour giving rise to wealth (opulence) is one of the main points of what he is saying.
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Thanks a lot for an immediate answer and your reason for the answer, GPY.

THIS division of labour, from which so many advantages are derived, is not originally the effect of any human wisdom, which foresees and intends that general
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As you realise, the word "it" could grammatically refer to either, so one can only discriminate on the basis of which interpretation seems to make best sense in the context. My feeling is that the point is that division of labour generates opulence, but that this outcome is not the deliberate result of human wisdom. I feel that this meaning is expressed more clearly if "it" refers to the division
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