Adam Smith Conference

In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the publication of Adam Smith’s Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Campion College’s Centre for the Study of Western Tradition (CSWT) is pleased to host a conference exploring the theme ‘Adam Smith’s “Natural System of Liberty”‘.

In 1776, Adam Smith published his Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, often considered the founding text of economic science. The Wealth of Nationsdefends what Smith calls the “obvious and simple system of natural liberty,” whose cornerstone is “the inviolable sacred right of property.” 250 years later, the Smithian or classical liberal vision of a free society based on the sanctity of private property has few defenders.

One goal of this conference is to consider the merits (and demerits) of Smith’s ideas, as elaborated not just in The Wealth of Nations but also in The Theory of Moral Sentimentsand other works. Its broader goal is to explore from multiple perspectives the contemporary relevance of the classical liberal vision, as articulated not only by Smith but by his predecessors and successors in the classical liberal tradition.