Libertarians, Foucault and Adam Smith

Jacob Levy is a source of fresh though at the Libertarian Right. (I am intrigued by his pairing of Smith and Foucault; it is an interesting fact that Foucault wrote so perceptively about Smith throughout his life--a subject that deserves more research.)

You can read his post here.

I would add to Levy's argument that Smith was an enemy of political arithmetick (deeply informed by social statistics), perhaps because he also saw it was an instrument of state power.

I would also claim, in contrast, perhaps, to Levy's analysis that Smith hoped that his reform proposals would graduallly undermine the existing great orders. Smith hated revolution, but on grounds of "equity" he certainly hoped for effacement of great deal of inequality.