Was Adam Smith Really a Right-Winger? (Update)

Economists and politicians have turned him into a mascot for free-market ideology. Some on the left say the right has badly misread him. In this updated replay of a 2022 episode, we hold a very Smithy tug of war.

• SOURCES:

• Eamonn Butler (libertarianism.org/people/eamonn-butler), co-founder and director of the Adam Smith Institute.

• Glory Liu (gloryliu.com/about), a political scientist and Adam Smith scholar at Georgetown University.

• Mariana Mazzucato (marianamazzucato.com), professor in the economics of innovation and public value at University College London.

• Dennis Rasmussen (maxwell.syr.edu/directory/dennis-c-rasmussen), a professor of political science at Syracuse University.

• Russ Roberts (russroberts.info), president of Shalem College in in Jerusalem; host of the EconTalk podcast; and author.

• Craig Smith (gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/staff/craigs…), Adam Smith Senior Lecturer in the Scottish Enlightenment at the University of Glasgow.

• RESOURCES:

• Adam Smith’s America: How a Scottish Philosopher Became an Icon of American Capitalism (amzn.to/3P70VwN), by Gloria Liu (2022).

• "Henry and Adam: A Deep and Special Friendship (panmurehouse.org/perspectives/articles/henry-a…)," by Benny Higgins (Adam Smith Panmure House Perspective, 2020).

• "Rescuing Adam Smith From Myth and Misrepresentation (economist.com/books-and-arts/2018/07/26/rescui…)," (The Economist, 2018).

• The Infidel and the Professor: David Hume, Adam Smith, and the Friendship That Shaped Modern Thought (amzn.to/3uzB5Is), by Dennis C. Rasmussen (2017).

• How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness (amzn.to/3hd66i3), by Russ Roberts (2014).

• "British Privatization — Taking Capitalism to the People (hbr.org/1992/01/british-privatization-taking-c…)," by John Moore (Harvard Business Review, 1992).

• Free to Choose: A Personal Statement (amzn.to/3Y31wUh), by Milton Friedman and Rose Friedman (1990).

• The Essential Adam Smith (amzn.to/3HjlAf3), edited by Robert L. Heilbroner (1986).

• An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (libertyfund.org/books/an-inquiry-into-the-natu…), by Adam Smith (1776).

• The Theory of Moral Sentiments (amzn.to/3VYSzcJ), by Adam Smith (1759).

• EXTRAS:

• "In Search of the Real Adam Smith (freakonomics.com/podcast-tag/in-search-of-the-…)," series by Freakonomics Radio (2022).

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