Description

Originally published in 1776 Adam Smiths The Wealth of Nations was lauded by Americas founders as a landmark work of Enlightenment thinking Glory Liu traces how generations of Americans have read reinterpreted and weaponized Smiths ideas revealing how his popular image as a champion of Americanstyle capitalism and free markets is a historical invention

Liu tells the story of how an unassuming Scottish philosopher captured the American imagination and played a leading role in shaping American economic and political ideas She shows how Smith became known as the father of political economy in the nineteenth century and was firmly associated with free trade and how in the aftermath of the Great Depression the Chicago School of Economics transformed him into the preeminent theorist of selfinterest and the miracle of free markets Liu explores how a new generation of political theorists and public intellectuals has sought to recover Smiths original intentions and restore his reputation as a moral philosopher

Charting the enduring fascination that this humble philosopher from Scotland has held for American readers over more than two centuries Adam Smiths America shows how Smith continues to be a vehicle for articulating perennial moral and political anxieties about modern capitalism