Portrait of Adam Smith
Right · Thinker or writer · From history

Adam Smith

Scottish economist and philosopher, 1723 to 1790

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Wrote The Wealth of Nations, arguing that competition and the division of labor create prosperity, while also backing public education, courts and infrastructure.

Adam Smith sits in the right-libertarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: strongly free market and leaning libertarian. The clearest positions are strongly free market on economy, leaning tech-optimist on technology and leaning non-interventionist on interventionism. The profile is close to the middle on culture and environment.

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Where Adam Smith sits on ten dimensions

Each scale runs from one pole to the other, and the dot shows the overall tendency of this person's record and public life. These are simplified estimates and open to debate.

💰EconomyStrongly free market
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authorityLeaning libertarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureCentered on culture
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationLeaning globalist
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentCentered on environment
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologyLeaning tech-optimist
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceLeaning peace-first
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsLeaning institutional
Anti-establishmentInstitutional
🙏ReligionSlightly secular
SecularReligious
🛡️InterventionismLeaning non-interventionist
Non-interventionistInterventionist

People most like Adam Smith

Milton Friedman American economist, 1912 to 200698%Robert Nozick American philosopher, 1938 to 200297%Ludwig von Mises Austrian economist, 1881 to 197397%Friedrich Hayek Austrian-British economist and philosopher, 1899 to 199297%Bjørn Lomborg Danish author and policy analyst97%Tyler Cowen American economist and blogger97%John Locke English philosopher, 1632 to 170496%Kim Dae-jung President of South Korea, 1998 to 200396%

People furthest from Adam Smith

Adolf Hitler Chancellor and Führer of Germany, 1933 to 194510%Benito Mussolini Prime Minister of Italy, 1922 to 194310%Joseph Stalin Soviet leader, 1920s to 195311%Ruhollah Khomeini Supreme Leader of Iran, 1979 to 198911%

Political views closest to Adam Smith

Classical liberalismIndividual rights, limited government, free markets and the rule of law.99%Austrian schoolAn economic tradition that stresses individual choice, sound money and skepticism about…98%MinarchismLimits the state to a minimal "night-watchman" role of courts, police and defense.98%Fiscal conservatismPrioritizes low taxes, balanced budgets and limited public debt.95%

Read more about Adam Smith

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Biographies of Adam SmithBooks on classical liberalism

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Percentages show how close two profiles are across all ten dimensions. Including a person here is for study and comparison, not approval. Portrait: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; see all photo credits.