Glenn Diesen - Greater Eurasia Podcast Daniel Klein: Adam Smith's Civilizationalist Conservative-Liberal Universalism
Dec 27, 2025
Daniel Klein, a Professor of Economics at George Mason University and head of the Adam Smith Program, explores Adam Smith's complex ideas on liberalism and conservatism. He discusses the impartial spectator concept and how Smith balanced universal moral viewpoints with specific cultural contexts. Klein highlights Smith's critiques of colonialism and slavery, and argues for the necessity of stable political structures to support liberal policies. The conversation also delves into the tensions within liberalism, particularly regarding immigration and the role of government in managing wealth concentration.
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Liberalism Rooted In Universal Moral Vision
- Adam Smith grounds liberal policy in a universal moral framework centered on the impartial spectator.
- This universalism sees the good of the whole while accounting for particular circumstances and conventions.
Liberalism As A Policy Presumption
- Smith framed liberalism as a presumption in favor of allowing people to pursue their own interest their own way.
- He treated this as a domestic policy orientation that presupposes a stable, functional polity.
Conservatism Tempering Liberal Presumptions
- Smith couples liberal presumption with a conservative regard for existing norms, traditions and stable polity.
- He warns that liberal reform should respect character and social cohesion to preserve functioning political order.