Why Read Adam Smith Today?

Peter J. Boettke:

The scholarly world celebrated Adam Smith’s 300th birthday throughout 2023. This article attempts to lay out the case on why we should still be reading Adam Smith today. The argument isn’t because we want to honor the founder of a scientific discipline. But, instead, it argues that Smith’s work is still relevant for our contemporary conversations in economic science, political economy and social philosophy. 

Keywords: Adam Smith, History of Economic Thought, Political Economy, Social Philosophy