Philosopher's Zone
Philosopher's Zone
ABC ABC Australia
Adam Smith, economics and moral philosophy
32 minutes Posted Apr 30, 2026 at 11:00 pm.
0:00
32:15
Download MP3
Show notes
Scottish philosopher Adam Smith (1723-1790) is often described as an arch capitalist, the "father of modern economics" - and at a glance it's easy to see why. His Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations provided the theoretical foundation for free market capitalism and the economic policies that prevailed throughout the Industrial Revolution. But to see Smith as an extreme free market ideologue is to get him badly wrong.