As surpresas de Adam Smith

Adam Smith exemplifica, melhor do que qualquer um, a correcção desta afirmação de Keynes: “The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else. Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist.” Keynes poderia ter qualificado a sua afirmação acrescentando que essa influência intelectual era, na esmagadora maioria dos casos, veiculada por uma versão parcelar, incorrecta e ignorante do que aqueles, efectivamente, tinham dito e defendido.

Aquilo que se segue, demonstra-o [sobre Adam Smith ver aqui, aqui e aqui]. No primeiro caso, são excertos do economista que são usados para se comentar a situação económica actual dos EUA; no segundo, é a transcrição de uma passagem célebre da "Riqueza das Nações".

• Barack Obama - Salon.com: "Salon interviews the late Adam Smith The 18th century's patron saint of free markets shares his surprising views about Barack Obama and the U.S. economy By Michael Lind The remarks of Adam Smith are all quotations from his book 'The Wealth of Nations,' first published in 1776."

• Adam Smith - An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations - The Adam Smith Institute: [...] The interest of the dealers, however, in any particular branch of trade or manufactures, is always in some respects different from, and even opposite to, that of the public. To widen the market and to narrow the competition, is always the interest of the dealers. To widen the market may frequently be agreeable enough to the interest of the public; but to narrow the competition must always be against it, and can serve only to enable the dealers, by raising their profits above what they naturally would be, to levy, for their own benefit, an absurd tax upon the rest of their fellow-citizens. The proposal of any new law or regulation of commerce which comes from this order ought always to be listened to with great precaution, and ought never to be adopted till after having been long and carefully examined, not only with the most scrupulous, but with the most suspicious attention. It comes from an order of men whose interest is never exactly the same with that of the public, who have generally an interest to deceive and even to oppress the public, and who accordingly have, upon many occasions, both deceived and oppressed it." 
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PS (20.11.09): Mais este  

Economist's View: "The Very Best Short Summary of Adam Smith's Life and Work"