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 • , co-founder and director of the Adam Smith Institute.

Glory Liu • , a political scientist and Adam Smith scholar at Georgetown University.

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

Dennis Rasmussen • , a professor of political science at Syracuse University.

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

Craig Smith • , 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, • by Gloria Liu (2022).

• " Henry and Adam: A Deep and Special Friendship • ," by Benny Higgins ( Adam Smith Panmure House Perspective • , 2020).

• " Rescuing Adam Smith From Myth and Misrepresentation • ," ( The Economist, • 2018).

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

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

• " British Privatization — Taking Capitalism to the People • ," by John Moore ( Harvard Business Review, • 1992).

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

The Essential Adam Smith, • edited by Robert L. Heilbroner (1986).

An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, • by Adam Smith (1776).

The Theory of Moral Sentiments, • by Adam Smith (1759).

EXTRAS: •

• " In Search of the Real Adam Smith • ," series by Freakonomics Radio • (2022).

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.