An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is one of the most important and influential works ever published on economic theory. A masterpiece of the eighteenth-century Scottish Enlightenment, it develops a theory of social order arising from the unintended consequences of self-interested behavior. This self regulating system of the free market, Adam Smith contends, protects consumers from entrenched special interests and is usually harmed by government intervention.
This program examines explains Smith's major arguments and provides the background necessary for comprehension. Each of the five books of The Wealth of Nations is covered in order to explain how the seemingly diverse themes relate to Smith's general purpose.
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"A massively relevant book to anyone wondering why things are going the way they are economically...and to think it was written by an Englishman in the 1800's... " — Larry (5 out of 5 stars)
"A massively relevant book to anyone wondering why things are going the way they are economically...and to think it was written by an Englishman in the 1800's... "
" I think this book is worthy of five stars in the objective sense. But this site questions personal opinion and while I found certain chapters interesting, the majority was very difficult to get through. "
" Exceptional read for any Political Science/Theory historian. "
" Made it thru book 1 only. But it was interesting "
" I thought the book was quite interesting back when I read it in high school. Some of the specific examples seemed quite irrelevant for how dated they were but the principles were fascinating. "
" Tedious. Most of his ideas get rehashed by John Stuart Mill and others, later. "
" A hard read. But a must for anyone interested in economics, free market capitalism or (like me) thinks that capitalism is the root of all evil! "
George H. Smith is an author, editor, educator, and speaker. His first book was the very popular Atheism: The Case against God. Smith began teaching in the 1970s and for nearly twenty years spent his summers instructing university students in political philosophy and American political and intellectual history at seminars sponsored by the Cato Institute and the Institute for Humane Studies. His many articles and book reviews have appeared in a wide range of publications, including Reason, the New York Times, and the Journal of Libertarian Studies.
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