Last Wednesday, I gave a talk, “Adam Smith as Moral Philosopher,” at our local Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at California State University, Monterey Bay. The person who runs it is Michele Crompton and she does a very good job. Her husband, John Crompton, recorded my talk. He did a great job also, as you’ll see.

This coming Wednesday, I do my talk for OLLI on “Adam Smith as Economist.” The reason for doing these before the year ends is that 2023 is the 300th anniversary of Adam Smith’s birth.

Here’s the video.

And here are some highlights. Times are approximate. The page numbers in the video are for the Liberty Fund version of the Theory of Moral Sentiments.

10:20: Adam Smith and Michael Jackson.

15:40: Celebrity.

16:40: Tom Nagle vs. Nathaniel Branden.

19:35: Castro and Trudeau.

20:50: Motives matter.

22:05: The three P’s of justice.

23:20: Love matters.

25:00: Applauds not us, but others. (Applauding for military.)

27:00: Being called a “brownshirt” at age 17.

28:40: Accepted versus acceptable.

29:30: Earthquake in China.

31:17: Whiny and melancholy moralists.

34:24: Adam Smith as Dear Abby.

36:00: Sovereign and subjects in war.

37:39: Love of country.

39:20: My country right or wrong?

40:20: Adam Smith as Louis CK.

48:25: Stoicism sucks.

50:00: Walk the walk.

50:48: Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

51:25: Virtue signaling is fine if you’re virtuous.

52:15: Getting an ought from an is.

54:45: Mandeville, Fable of the Bees.