Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Do you think Smith is right when he says that letting business people do whatever they want will provide the best benefit to society as a whole?
- Do you buy the idea that even the poorest people in a free trade society are better off than the richest in a non-free trade one? Why or why not?
- Why do governments impose so many barriers on free trade? Whom are they trying to please?
- Why do people think they can only get richer if other people get poorer? Where does this thinking come from?
- Why does Adam Smith think that farmers are the most productive members of society? Who else is productive, and why?
- Why do the people of Adam Smith's time choose to have slaves instead of wage workers, even though this choice loses them money in the long run?
- Is Smith hopeful about whether the world will follow his advice? Why or why not?
- What are the main obstacles to governments adopting free trade? How does Smith hope to get beyond them?