Speaking of Smith Archives

Dear Adam Smith: Carrying My Sorrows

Our selfish passions often induce us to ignore reality. The more important the decision, the easier it is to be partial toward yourself. After we have acted, we can examine our conduct and endeavor to view it more impartially

An Attitude of Gratitude

Alice Temnick for AdamSmithWorks

Smith suggests that the sympathy, or fellow feeling we have toward others develops with experience. Perhaps it can be thought of as a life-long project to work at “conceiving what we ourselves should feel in the like situation”. Walking in another’s shoes and working hard to get it right.

Where Turnips Turn Up in Adam Smith's World

Renee Wilmeth for AdamSmithWorks

During Smith’s lifetime, he saw widespread changes in agriculture including land use, grain production, and the humble turnip was on the leading edge of this revolution.

Adam Smith’s Critique of the Public’s Scrutiny of the Poor: Part II

Kristen Collins for AdamSmithWorks

Smith articulated the demeaning nature of being “obliged to expose” ourselves to the judgments of imperfectly sympathetic spectators. Smith’s example of the innocent man accused of a crime he did not commit perfectly encapsulates the pain of being a morally judicious individual subject to unjust public censure.

Adam Smith’s Critique of the Public’s Scrutiny of the Poor: Part I

Kristen Collins for AdamSmithWorks

People living in poverty did not need to actually partake in any undesirable or immoral activity to be the target of public contempt and disdain. Smith’s discussions of how differently people tend to view and judge the wealthy and the poor is key to understanding his theory of moral spectatorship.

Could Too Much Division of Labor Be Bad?

Amy Willis for AdamSmithWorks

Division of labor is working, but is everyone made better off, as we’ve come to expect from Adam Smith? Horwitz describes how women tend to invest more in household capital than men, who invest more in market human capital. So long as control over financial resources remained in the hands of men, this increased domestic specialization rendered women arguably more dependent on marriage.

Adam Smith and the Donor Priority Rule

Walter Castro and Julio Elias for AdamSmithWorks

Adam Smith maintained that altruism is more important towards those close to us, like families and friends, and that “Every man is, no doubt, by nature, first and principally recommended to his own care; and as he is fitter to take care of himself than of any other person, it is fit and right that it should be so (TMS, 2,ii,2).” Taking this into account, Smith found reciprocity as mechanism that promotes benevolence towards others and supports cooperation.

Adam Smith on Labor Markets

Marko Veckov for AdamSmithWorks

As for he did for the prices of products, Adam Smith also dared to show that in the case of wages, when markets are left to work on their own, the best outcome for all participants similarly occurs.

Moral Sentiments, A Squirrel With a Martini, and Women’s Independence: Considerations for your listening pleasure

By Christy Lynn

Whether you travel by car or by plane, your ears might be happy for an alternative to holiday music. Below are three suggestions to make those hours in transit more enjoyable (and educational)!

Reading the Wealth of Nations: Book 5

Matt Bufton for AdamSmithWorks

Smith asks questions with timeless appeal. What makes some countries rich? Why are others poor? What is the role of government?

Dear Adam Smith: A Paralyzed Pen

Can Adam Smith help with writer's block?

Adam Smith’s Slips and the End of Othello

Sarah Skwire for AdamSmithWorks

Smith’s misrecollection of the end of Othello, then, is very much of a piece with this aesthetic preferences for the smooth, the regular, and the well ordered.