Adam Smith Politics and Government

Mueller introduces a series of posts about Adam Smith, giving a broad overview of his thought and situating him relative to other thinkers.

Mueller offers a survey of different interpretations of Adam Smith by classical liberal thinkers.

Adam Smith argued for a general presumption of liberty, with exceptions requiring justification.

Adam Smith's commitment to liberty wasn't without exceptions, but the centrality and import of those exceptions should not be exaggerated.

Adam Smith argued that politicians and bureaucrats lack both the information required to make good decisions and the incentives to become better informed.

Smith pointed out that government interference exacerbates political divisions and creates new conflicts and factions where none existed.

Adam Smith argued that hubristic "men of system" shouldn't be trusted to arrange society. Decentralized government or private action is to be preferred.