527. Can Adam Smith Fix Our Economy?

527.亚当·斯密能修复我们的经济吗?

Freakonomics Radio

社会与文化

2022-12-22

48 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

Labor exploitation! Corporate profiteering! Government corruption! The 21st century can look a lot like the 18th. In the final episode of a series, we turn to “the father of economics” for solutions. (Part 3 of “In Search of the Real Adam Smith.”)

单集文稿 ...

  • John Ewell is an actor who lives in Kirkaldy, Scotland.

  • If you watch a lot of british tv dramas, you may have seen him playing a doctor or a hotel manager, a police sergeant.

  • But lately hes been moving away from acting.

  • Ive written two plays and im writing another one.

  • One of those two plays is about Andrew Carnegie, who made his fortune in America but grew up nearby in Dunfermline.

  • The other play, called the invisible hand, is about Adam Smith, who is often called the founder of modern economics.

  • He grew up just down the street from where John Ewell lives.

  • He's from here, and I always thought there was a story in it.

  • And Kirkcaldy doesn't do enough to perpetuate the greatness of Adam Smith.

  • That is changing.

  • Kirkaldi is preparing to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Adam Smith's birth.

  • The church where he was baptized is being restored.

  • There are plans for a museum and cultural center.

  • John Ewell doesnt blame his neighbors for not caring enough about Adam Smith.

  • He didnt really care either until he started working on his play.

  • Always aware of Adam Smith, but not entirely of his legend, of his contribution to economics, really, and to philosophy.

  • I knew about it, but as most people, you would find, actually don't know, they know about the wealth of nations and they know that Margaret Thatcher, the enemy, always had a copy of wealth of nations, the legend goes, in her handbag.

  • So I thought, wow, that's worth looking into.

  • You say the legend goes that Thatcher carried Adam Smith around in her handbag.

  • What do you think?