Freakingomics Radio is sponsored by Lowe's Hotels. Give the gift of Lowe's this holiday season with a gift card. Right now, save $200 on $1,000 or more at Sotva.com slash Freakonomics. The questions Adam Smith was asking in the mid-18th century may not strike you as an economist might ask today.
How did an affable 18th-century “moral philosopher” become the patron saint of cutthroat capitalism? Does “the invisible hand” mean what everyone thinks it does? We travel to Smith’s hometown in Scotland to uncover the man behind the myth. (Part 1 of a series.)