ADAM SMITH’S ENLIGHTENED WORLD

Commerce, morality, equality, the rule of law, and the role of government… Welcome to the world of Adam Smith.

What can we learn about our own world from Smith? Join the workers in an 18th century pin factory to find out more…

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Listen to the latest podcast episodes with full show notes and transcripts.

The Great Antidote

Speaking of Smith is a blog that explores the ideas, legacy, and relevance of Adam Smith.

Speaking of Smith

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Brad Wilcox on Get Married

The most common statistic cited regarding marriage and relationships in the United States is that the 50% of all marriages end in divorce. Another one that is gaining traction is that more Americans than ever before will end up unmarried and alone. Nobody likes these statistics.

Extras: Samuel Gregg on National Security and Industrial Policy

When government officials pick winners and losers people are poorer and less secure. Kevin Lavery listens in to Samuel Gregg and Juliette Sellgren and offers up lessons on what can happen when national security is badly used as justification for industrial policy.

Cara Rogers Stevens on Thomas Jefferson and Slavery

Thomas Jefferson was a complicated figure. Essential to the start of our country and the university I attend, he is impossible to ignore. Yet, he held slaves, and at the same time said “all men are created equal.” What’s up with that?!?

Extra: Alice Temnick on Teaching, Learning, and Adam Smith's Education

Students often need guidance. Great teachers are great guides. Nancy Vander Veer listens in and shares what she learned. You're next!

Explore.

The Smith Questionnaire

The Smith Questionnaire Watch as we subject some of our favorite scholars to some silly questions about Smith.

Learn.

Adam Smith, the German Historical School, and Walter Eucken

January 8, 2025 Photo from the Walter Eucken InstitutGrudev and Kolev examine the evolution of the Historical School's perspectives on Smith and the "Adam Smith Problem" starting with Smith's contemporaries through to mid-20th century.

An Animal That Trades

A five-part short video series on the life and contemporary relevance of Adam Smith.

Teach.

Invisible Hand Toolkit

Explore the most famous metaphor in economics with our collection of original resources for you and your classroom.

Teaching Resources...Right to your Inbox!

Did you miss our most recent collection about teaching the division of labor ?

Reading Guides

Read through the original texts of Theory of Moral Sentiments and Wealth of Nations with discussion questions added directly to the text.

Read.

Essays on Philosophical Subjects

Reflecting Adam Smith’s wide learning and varied interests, these essays shed considerable light on his place in the Scottish Enlightenment. Included are histories of astronomy, ancient logic, and ancient physics; essays on the “imitative” arts and the affinity between music, dancing, and poetry; and a critical review of Samuel Johnson’s famous Dictionary, which Smith originally published in the Edinburgh Review (1755–1756).