You don't even have to look at large crowds. Since you wrote that you favor simplicity, you can just look at the one guy who shot a man in the back while he was lying on his stomach.
Paraphrasing Adam Smith on free markets: Each individual, in pursuing his own self interest, shall be led, as though by an invisible hand, to achieve the common good. (This from the other book I read, Wealth of Nations)
It wasn't Wikipedia that formed my opinion of AR (invalid assumption which I addressed in my post in order to quell that issue), rather a a convenient vehicle for overview. Note the number of references there. I come across discussions that make me want to post--so I did. My opinion is my own and apologize for rancorous prose if perceived as such. I won't begin explicating my thoughts on AR as my interest in her is practically nill. I have been trading/investing for 30 years and don't understand the fascination with her and that is what caught my attention. Have at it. Best of luck
Nonsense. Since when do self-interests strive towards a common good? Since when can anyone claim there is a clear path to the common good? Israel and Hamas are both being self-interested, among many other political/economic examples, are their actions pursuing the common good? One would have to be a fool to answer in the affirmative. On a side note, it's really sad when somebody reads one sided books and cherry picks philosophy to support their political beliefs. Unfortunately, I think that's what most people do.