Adam Smith is consistently held up as the great founder of economics and herald of capitalism. Murray Rothbard energetically disputed this characterization. Others, in turn, have criticized Rothbard’s criticism. So what are we to think?
About the Guest
Gene Epstein is economics and book review editor of Barron’s.
Special Offer
Learn the history and economics they didn’t teach you at Tom’s Liberty Classroom. Take $20 off a yearly subscription with coupon code SMASH, and $100 of a lifetime subscription with code MASTERY (codes must be entered in all caps). Click here to check it out.
Books Mentioned
Economics Before Adam Smith, by Murray N. Rothbard
Classical Economics, by Murray N. Rothbard
An Essay on the Nature of Commerce in General, by Richard Cantillon
Guest’s Book
Econospinning: How to Read Between the Lines When the Media Manipulate the Numbers
Website Mentioned
Related Episode
Ep. 179 The Late Scholastics: Christians for Freedom (Alejandro Chafuen)
Previous Appearance
Ep. 634 The Economic Freedom of the World: What the Numbers Tell Us
Ep. 473 Does the Economy Do Better Under the Democrats, and Has Obama Been Better Than Reagan?
Ep. 462 We Found a Major Flaw in the Egalitarian Argument
Ep. 450 Noam Chomsky Led Me to Libertarianism, Says Guest
Other Podcast
Enjoy the Tom Woods Show? You’ll love my once-a-week podcast with Bob Murphy, Contra Krugman!
Free Resources!
1) Free eBook on how to start your blog or website. Click here to get it. Plus, check out my step-by-step video taking you from no blog to a blog in about five minutes!
2) Free publicity for your blog. As a special thanks if you get your hosting through one of my affiliate links (this one for Bluehost, or this one for WP Engine), I’ll boost your blog. Click here for details.
3) Free History Course: The U.S. Presidents — Politically Incorrect Edition. Get access to this 22-lesson course: 22 videos, 22 mp3 files for listening on the go, and a bibliography of reliable books on the presidents. Click here!.
4) $160 in Free Bonuses. Free signed copy of my New York Times bestseller The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History, plus a free 10-lesson bonus course on the foundations of liberty, plus a free year’s subscription to LibertyClassroom.com, when you subscribe to the Ron Paul Curriculum site through RonPaulHomeschool.com.
