Re:Adam Smith did not mean what he is often made to say (1998)
by JetSetWilly on Sunday March 13, 2022 @11:50AM
(#30662337)
Is it? It says things like "Smith is critical of government and officialdom, but is no champion of laissez-faire" and "A further theme of The Wealth Of Nations is that competition and free exchange are under threat from the monopolies, tax preferences, controls, and other privileges that producers extract from the government authorities".
I would say that is fairly accurate.
I've noticed that when it comes to Adam Smith there's no shortage of people who try to make out he was some kind of proto-communist while smugly telling off straw man economists for cherry picking him - but it doesn't seem true to me.
It's surprising how shamelessly they are doing it. I would have expected more sophistry.