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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Listen to the latest podcast episodes with full show notes and transcripts.

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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Who Owns What a Machine Creates? Adam Smith on AI and Copyright

Smith believed that true innovation thrives under competition, not under the shadow of legal exclusivity. We should be cautious before inventing new categories, such as granting authorship to machines, unless and until the practice emerges organically from society. 

Targeted Incentives: Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why It Persists with Peter Calcagno

Remember the Amazon HQ2 frenzy? When nearly every U.S. state competed to become Amazon’s next home, offering billions in tax breaks and incentives? I do — I grew up right next door to Crystal City, Virginia, the site Amazon ultimately chose. In this episode, I talk with economist Peter Calcagno about targeted economic incentives—the controversial policy tool that fueled the Amazon HQ2 bidding war and countless other corporate deals.

Extra: Smith's egalitarianism and what follows

A Great Antidote Extra for Sandra Peart on Ethical Quandries and Politics Without Romance

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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.

Why Read Adam Smith Today? Enduring Insight

After a year-long celebration of Adam Smith's birth in 2023, Peter Boettke addresses those still not well-versed with Smith's magisterial work of political economy.

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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. 

Teaching Resources...Right to your Inbox!

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).