In The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Adam Smith discusses the dialectics of our notions of propriety. His moral insights can add a lot to our understanding of the root problem of government involvement in culture and economics, which Hayek called “the pretense of knowledge” and “the fatal conceit.”

Daniel B. Klein is a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute and Professor of Economics at George Mason University.
Culture and SocietyDemocracyEconomistsEconomyGovernment and PoliticsGovernment PowerPhilosophy and ReligionPublic ChoiceRegulation
Other Independent Review articles by Daniel B. Klein
Summer 2023 The Tao Exposes Slavers to Contempt
Spring 2023 Instilling Duties above Instilling Rights: Two Features of Adam Smith’s Talk of Justice and Liberty
Summer 2020 Adam Smith’s Rebuke of the Slave Trade, 1759
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