ADAM SMITH’S ENLIGHTENED WORLD

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

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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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Swedish origins of ‘liberal’ as a political label

Georg Adlersparre1770s Scots christened the political adjective ‘liberal.’ But the first noun ‘liberals’—exponents of a national ‘liberal’ party or movement—were in Sweden, beating Spain by a nose!  "...the Spanish liberales got the word, just like the Swedish liberals, from their Scottish hero [Adam Smith]."

How Cities and Towns Create Wealth and Value According to Adam Smith

Nicolas de Larmessin, The Dance of Work: Satires and Grotesques of the Professions, 1700A desire for fine quality things and a market that reaches beyond isolated estates can create affordable necessities (and frivolities). 

Douglas Den Uyl and Douglas Rasmussen on Ayn Rand: What She Gets Right and Where She Goes Too Far

We’ve talked about objectivism before on the podcast , but that was fairly introductory. Today, for the first time ever, I host two guests on the podcast to discuss the limitations of objectivism and where it fails to depict the good life. We talk about how they got interested in Rand’s thought, how they philosophically dealt with works that were mostly fiction, and where their philosophy, individualistic perfectionism, diverges from Rand’s and fills in some important blanks. 

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Part 2: The Free Market

  In this short video, AdamSmithWorks introduces the free market not as a place, but as a dynamic process driven by voluntary exchange, competition, and cooperation. With insights rooted in the thought of Adam Smith, this engaging explainer helps viewers understand how markets work and why they play a central role in a free society. 

Part 3: Division of Labor

This original AdamSmithWorks video explores Adam Smith’s famous concept of the division of labor—how breaking down tasks increases efficiency, productivity, and prosperity. 📈💡 

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Adam Abducted

March 3, 2025 Doug Curtis and Jeremy Lott are back at AdamSmithWorks illustrating a colorful event from Adam Smith early years.

From Clan to Social Grammar

February 28, 2025 In the 11th century, the Roman Catholic Church reformed consanguinity rules for marriage, bringing along a social grammar, the liberal arc, and the Great Enrichment. "The weakening of kinship ties in Europe, which led to the rise of impersonal commerce, allowed for more modern moralists to identify the unique aspects of commutative justice, elaborating precise and accurate rules in jurisprudence."

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Invisible Hand Toolkit

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

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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. 

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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).