32 lines
1.1 KiB
Markdown
32 lines
1.1 KiB
Markdown
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<!-- generated: provider=openrouter model=arcee-ai/trinity-large-preview:free date=2026-02-19 source=book-2-chapter-03 -->
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# Productive and Unproductive Labour
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## Definition
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A fundamental classification of economic activity distinguishing labour that
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adds value to materials through transformation into vendible commodities from
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labour that provides services without creating lasting value. Productive labour
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fixes and realizes itself in particular subjects or commodities that endure
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after the labour is past and can be stored, exchanged, or employed again,
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while unproductive labour perishes in the very instant of performance without
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leaving any vendible commodity or value that can be stored or exchanged.
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## Source Chapter
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Book II, Chapter 3
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## Context
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The central analytical framework of this chapter, introduced to explain how
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different types of labour affect capital accumulation and economic growth.
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Smith uses this distinction to show why manufacturers grow rich while those
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maintaining unproductive servants grow poor, and how this affects the overall
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productive capacity of a nation.
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## Economic Domain
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Production
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---
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