Smith begins his exploration of self-interest and social order by explaining Shaftesbury’s theory of social psychology.

Smith explains the meaning of “society” and “institution,” and he discusses the distinction between designed and undesigned institutions.

“All the Countries near the Sea side, which the King of Dahome could possibly get at, are not only conquered, but also turned into Desolation.” William Snelgrave traded slaves because it made him ...

D'Amato argues that Adam Smith's role as a critic of incumbent mercantilist interests has been wrongly obscured by those who see him as aligned with the right. Where does Adam Smith fit into the ...

"Let us attach ourselves firmly [to] civilization — justice, legality, publicity, Liberty; and let us never forget [that we] are under the eye of the world." ...

Presley begins a series of posts describing a "psychology of freedom" and explaining its relevance to libertarianism more broadly.

Camped between two epochs in English history and two factions in a civil war, the New Model Army debates republicanism, slavery, and freedom.

Native Americans lived happier and freer, "being void of care, which torments...so many Christians: They are not delighted in baubles, but in useful things." ...

When the Diggers occupied St. George's Hill, they stood on generations of leveller history protesting aristocratic enclosures of common lands. During the English Civil Wars, it seemed to many that the ...

To begin our series on the book that practically made modern political philosophy, we join Locke in demoting Adam from global dictator to mere father. Though Locke was no feminist, neither did he ...

Smith discusses Jefferson's ideas about education and his plan for a decentralized system of public schools.

Smith explains what Adam Smith meant by the “invisible hand” and how he used this explanatory method throughout his writings. George Smith discusses some of Adam Smith’s social, political, and moral ...