The dark side of free markets
While free markets have delivered benefits, they also prey on our weaknesses, tempting us to buy things that are bad for us, be it sweet candy or sour investments.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Adam Smith
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It’s all about the Hamiltons, baby
Alexander Hamilton's story is our story. It would be a mistake to remove him from the $10 bill.
Savage peoples: the racism of Adam Smith in Wealth of Nations
To burnish the virtues of "civilised" Europe, Adam Smith relies on a barrage of racial insults. Where did his information about the so-called "savage peoples" come from in the first place?
The myth that holds Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations together
The myth that our primitive forebears were capitalists at heart is fundamental to Adam Smith's arguments in The Wealth of Nations.
How cute dogs help us understand Adam Smith’s ‘invisible hand’
A careful study of Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations reveals that its influence lies not in Smith’s ability to construct an argument – but in his skill as teller of tall tales.
Priceless: the inefficient, but merry economics of Christmas
Fingers crossed, we are soon to be inundated with Christmas joy disguised as presents from our family and friends. I received my first card more than a week ago and a present – now sitting under the tree…
An independent Scotland would have to look to Adam Smith, not socialism
We are now barely two weeks away from Scotland’s referendum on independence. According to the latest polling, the No camp’s lead is disappearing fast. A Yes victory is becoming a realistic possibility…
Don’t knock Arctic Monkeys – most of us are tax avoiders
Arctic Monkeys became members of a club they would probably have rather avoided recently. Joining the likes of Take That, Jimmy Carr and Anne Robinson, they became the latest celebrities to be vilified…
Why constant surveillance is necessary in a society built on self-interest
If you want to know why we in the UK see more security cameras on street corners than other nations, and why politicians are fending off accusations of spying on their own citizens, then turn your eyes…
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Professor, Religion, Marxism and Secularism, Faculty of Education and Arts, University of Newcastle
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Professor of Economics, Manchester Metropolitan University
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Affiliate Faculty, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington
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Professor Emeritus of Applied Philosophy, Glasgow Caledonian University
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Lecturer in Modern British and British Imperial History, Texas State University
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University Professor, Georgetown University
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Professor of Economics, Yale University
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