First published in 1776, this work is the classic statement of economic liberalism or the policy of laissez-faire and is widely considered on of the hundred greatest books of all time. Several fundamental principles or “axioms” were introduced in this work, including the division of labor, supply and demand, and free market capitalism as some of the most obvious. Smith’s political economy is primarily individualistic: self-interest is the incentive for economic action. However, he shows that universal pursuit of self-interest contributes to the public interest, a concept probably best encapsulated by John F. Kennedy when he remarked, “a rising tide raises all boats.”
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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... "
“Simply the best book on political economy ever written. It is a genuine ‘breakthrough’ book whose magisterial scope and synthesis have not been surpassed.”
“Adam Smith’s enormous authority resides, in the end, in the same property that we discover in Marx: not in any ideology, but in an effort to see to the bottom of things.”
“The Wealth of Nations is no defender of ‘greed is good’ economics; the author’s humanity and benevolence tint every page.”
“Edwards enunciates with unusual clarity, which helps with a book published in 1776.”
" I read this book after undergrad. A pioneer of economics and this book started my passion for the study. Yeah, I'm a nerd. "
" Good but complicated, especially compare with the Barbie Fairytopia... "
" Probably one of the most mischaractized books in history. Maybe even more than the bible. "
" This is an Economics Bible. Worth to read. The legendary books. "
" 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.
Michael Edwards is a playwright and director from Baltimore.
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