Adam Smith

Major Conservative and Libertarian Thinkers

by James R. Otteson, John Meadowcroft (Editor)

The Scottish philosopher Adam Smith (1723-1790) was as a pioneer of political economy. In fact, his economic thought became the foundation of classical economics and his key work, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, is considered to be the first modern work in economics. For Smith, a free competition environment was the best way to foster economic development that would work in accordance with natural laws. The framework he set up to explain the free market remains true to this day.

200 pages, Hardcover

First published March 17, 2011

About the author

James R. Otteson is an American philosopher and political economist. He is the Thomas W. Smith Presidential Chair in Business Ethics, Professor of Economics, and executive director of the BB&T Center for the Study of Capitalism at Wake Forest University.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clean and concise overview of the main themes and ideas of Adam Smith. Recommended.

[M. Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic introduction to Smith's ideas, with subjects ranging from linguistics to ethics to politics.