Beneficence as a moral and political virtue of Adam Smith

While justice has usually been treated as the chief virtue in Adam Smith's moral and political theory, in this paper I want to refer to a far less discussed - albeit no less important- virtue, i.e., beneficence. What it is, how it is related to justice, to whom it is directed and what kind of duties it generates are the main questions I will try to answer in the first part. In the second part, I will address two objections which can be raised against the Smithian construal of this virtue and I will suggest the place that his understanding of beneficence could have in the contemporary debates of social justice and humanitarian aid.