“ Fortune never exerted more cruelly her empire over mankind, than when she subjected those nations of heroes [on the coast of Africa] to the refuse of the jails of Europe, to wretches who possess the virtues neither of the countries which they come from, nor of those which they go to, and whose levity, brutality, and baseness, so justly expose them to the contempt of the vanquished.”

  Does this sound like a man who “perpetuated racism and oppression”? 

We generally frown upon the act of patricide, killing one’s father is just not the done thing in polite society. And yet recent calls by members of Edinburgh City Council are targeting one of Scotland’s own fathers: the Father of Modern Economics, Adam Smith. The addition of Smith’s grave and statue to a leaked list of sites that had links to “historic racial injustice”,  may vilify his name, suffocate his voice, and if taken to an extreme could destroy his legacy.   

Whilst Smith may have taken his last breath over 200 years ago, his words still echo throughout society. Indeed, 245 years to the day since the publishing of Smith’s magnum opus “The Wealth of Nations”, and his work is full of lessons that continue to define our modern economy. 

The group justified his name on the list by stating that Smith “argued that slavery was ubiquitous and inevitable”. Would it be reasonable to make the case, from this comment, that Smith was a pessimist? Probably. A cynic? Perhaps. But a racist? No. Is his statement even highly controversial? It is an awful truth, but over 2 centuries later, at least 46 million men, woman and children across the world are still trapped by the horrific bonds of slavery. 

Lest we forget, Smith openly condemned slavery on both moral and economic grounds. As an economist, he argued that slavery was inefficient and ineffective for society. He believed that when people are forced to work, and therefore cannot act upon their “own interest”, they have no incentive to innovate, improve or invest their skills and labour. As a man, he was repulsed by slavery. He strongly believed that it was an inhumane and abhorrent institution:

“[W]e may see what a miserable life the slaves must have led; their life and their property entirely at the mercy of another, and their liberty, if they could be said to have any, at his disposal also.” 

By appealing to both the self-interested minds and morally conscience hearts of the time, Smith composed a damning attack on slavery. His two-fold argument was used as fuel to stoke the blazing fire of the abolitionist movement. Whilst he may have been resigned to slavery’s presence in society, this defeatism did not deter him from writing vehemently against it. 

It is important to note that Sir Geoff Palmer, the lead of the Edinburgh Slavery and Colonialism Legacy Review Group, has stated that he does not plan on removing Smith’s statue or grave, instead his aim is to educate and “provide people with information about their city”. 

Whilst the move to teach people about the oft brutal and tragic nature of our shared history is highly commendable, it does still beg the question why Smith’s resting place and statue were ever on this leaked list of sites in the first place. This is a unique opportunity for the council to educate people on the truths that defined our history. Let’s get it right! I do so hope that when this final list is published on March 15th that Adam Smith, the fierce critic and opponent of slavery, makes no appearance.