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

Anna Claire Flowers on F. A. Hayek and Social Structures

Today, I am excited to host Anna Claire Flowers to discuss F. A. Hayek and the mesocosmos. The mesocosmos is a fancy way to describe all the social groupings on the spectrum between the extremes of individualism and society. Think families, neighborhoods, farmers markets, firms, and universities.

Extra: Alain Bertaud on Urban Planning and Cities

Diversity in cities creates challenges but the largeness of cities make them great places to address those challenges.

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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.

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Understanding the Limits of "The Extent of the Market"

In the lesson, the instructor will read passages from Smith and display corresponding maps. Students will investigate each map and discuss how the maps & passages relate to concepts like specialization, scarcity, interdependence, and trade.

Activity: The Rule of Law and government officials

Use this quotation from Adam Smith's The Theory of Moral Sentiments to discuss the rule of law and different paths to power.

Reading Guides

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

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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).