The man of system thinks he is “very wise” but he is not really wise; he is only conceited. He is “enamoured” by his “ideal plan” and he “imagines” that he can “arrange” society however he wishes. Besides ignoring the motives, desires, and goals of individuals, the man of system has the illusion of knowledge and a corrupted moral sense.

The man of system, however, is not limited to politics. Philosophers are similarly liable to creating grand plans for how societies and human beings should live. Nor are men of system found only on the left side of the political spectrum. Many libertarians advocate a total overhaul (or abolition) of government without concern for the “confirmed habits and prejudices of the people.” They sometimes give one‐​sided presentations of issues. Smith opposed fanaticism and hubris, even in defenses of liberty. That partly explains why, I think, he moderates his advocacy of the perfect and simple system of natural liberty.

Although the hubris is palpable in the man of system, Smith was less concerned about such a man’s excessively high view of his own importance–graveyards are full of such “indispensable” people–than he was about their lack of concern and fellow‐​feeling with the people affected by their actions. Besides lacking feedback of the effects of their actions, political officials stand aloof from the daily lives of citizens. One reason they create so many rules and regulations, day after day, that make the common worker’s life more difficult, is that they do not bear the costs of compliance themselves. And they are not aware of many of the costs their new rules have created.

Smith criticized the hubris of government officials who created the poor laws and restrictive guild apprenticeship laws, and condemned the suffering and injustice they caused. The poor laws violate man’s natural liberty because: “to remove a man who has committed no misdemeanour from the parish where he chuses to reside, is an evident violation of natural liberty and justice.” Smith makes a similar claim about the injustice of apprenticeship laws: