An Introduction to Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations

In this course, students will have an opportunity to engage directly with the foundational text of modern capitalism, Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations. Published in 1776, Smith’s classic synthesized earlier economic thinking into a powerful vision for achieving national and international prosperity. Topics we will explore include the economic aspects of human nature, the division of labor, the implications of free trade, the meaning of money, and the proper role of government in economic life. Special attention will be paid to Smith’s economic arguments and how these fit within his larger political and moral thinking.

Dr. Aaron Tugendhaft

Aaron Tugendhaft studied history and philosophy at the University of Chicago, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the Sorbonne. Since receiving his doctorate in ancient Near Eastern Studies from New York University in 2012, he has taught broadly within the humanities on four continents and has become a staunch advocate of traditional liberal education as a corrective to premature professionalization, academic hyperspecialization, and political polarization. His most recent book, The Idols of ISIS: From Assyria to the Internet (University of Chicago Press, 2020), is a philosophical meditation on an Islamic State video of iconoclasm that explores the political power of images and the significance of their destruction. In fall 2021, he joined the history department and became a director of interdisciplinary programs at the Ramaz School in New York City.

An Introduction to Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations

Dr. Aaron Tugendhaft

Thank you for subscribing to our E-Newsletter

Sign up for our E-Newsletter