Speaking of Smith Archives

Pete Boettke on Mainline Economics

What Adam Smith Ate: Fresh Dairy Cheese

September 21, 2023

"Once everyone was paid wages in real money, Smith noted everyone benefits '…when barter ceases and money has become the common instrument of commerce.'"

What would Adam Smith think about "vocations"? Part 2

September 12, 2023

We can look at Smith's ideas but also his own decisions to think about what he might think about the idea of a vocation.

What would Adam Smith think about "vocations"?

September 7, 2023

Would Adam Smith have thought of some kinds of work as vocational?

Wealth of Nations Comics

September 5, 2023

We're not sure if Adam Smith could have imagined his words being turned into comics but we hope he would get a chuckle and maybe even a new idea from them if he could see them.

Adam Smith Knew Why We’d Love Jane Austen

August 31, 2023

"Though Smith died before Austen’s novels were published, his Theory of Moral Sentiments anticipates the reason her books affect us. As Smith says, we take on the feelings we imagine others feel."

ASW Paper Preview: Alexandra Oprea on "Adam Smith on Political Judgment: Revisiting the Political Theory of the Wealth of Nations"

August 30, 2023

Alexandra Oprea discusses her paper "Adam Smith on Political Judgment: Revisiting the Political Theory of the Wealth of Nations."

Adam Smith on Cost and Utility

August 29, 2023

"That Smith had emphasized cost is a consensus among economists, but that Smith emphasized utility might be a misunderstanding. In fact, Smith had put utility away in both his books for different reasons."

What Adam Smith Ate: An Assize of Bread

August 25, 2023

"We are familiar with [Adam Smith's] ideas about wheat, the potato and corn. But readers may be less familiar with the idea of 'assizes' or local regulations on those same loaves."

Avoid Traps with Adam Smith and Gordon Tullock

August 16, 2023

Adam Smith and Gordon Tullock argue for gradual change to protect those trapped by bad regulations but also avoiding those traps in the first place.

AdamSmithWorks Essays: Top Ten

August 15, 2023

AdamSmithWorks has been posting essays for over three years. Find out about the most popular ideas and authors for our long-form work here.

Seeing Beauty in Utility with Adam Smith

August 9, 2023

"On reflection, Smith’s claim that utility confers beauty seems powerful and persuasive."