invisible hands
Forces beyond sight
Invisible hands, from economist Adam Smith's metaphor, describes market forces that guide economic outcomes without central planning—self-interest inadvertently producing social benefit.
More broadly, invisible hands are any unseen influences shaping events: Invisible hands seemed to be pulling the strings behind the election.
The phrase often carries skeptical or conspiratorial undertones.
- pricesAmounts charged for goods
- theoryExplanatory set of principles
- Adam SmithClassical economics founder
- wealth of nationsAggregate economic resources of countries
- tradeExchange of commodities
self · markets · economy · allocation · intangible assets · laissez-faire · supplies · spontaneous order · providence · demands · self-interest · decentralization · business cycle · self-organization · hidden forces · pulling strings · behind the scenes · moral philosophy
invisible handscentral planning
Government directs all production
command economy · state control · government intervention · planned economy · dirigisme
invisible handsheavy hand
Excessive force in authority
iron fist · strong arm · strong-arm tactics · public policy · public pressure
invisible handscorporate executives
Senior company leadership
decision-makers · puppet masters · power brokers · technocrats · oligarchs
invisible, hands, hand, visibility, visible, visibly, invisibility, invisibly, vision