Adam Smith is considered to be the founder of modern economics. His influence is embedded in many areas of inquiry for the past 250 years. These include economic development, the economic framework of scarcity and efficiency, international relations, and free and open trade. His ideas remain with us and are as pertinent and important to the world today as they were when introduced. Professor Hobbs will cover Smith's foundational contributions to the modern world through major themes in his books The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759) and An Inquiry Into the Natures and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776).

Bradley Hobbs is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Economics at Clemson University. He was also the Hayek Visiting Scholar at the Snow Institute for the Study of Capitalism from 2012-2013. Before coming to Clemson University, Hobbs helped start Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in Fort Myers, Florida. He taught both economics and finance at FGCU for over nineteen years and served as the first BB&T Distinguished Professor of Free Enterprise from 2000-2016. Hobbs currently serves as a Research Fellow at the James Madison Institute, sits on the Academic Advisory Board for The Bastiat Society, and is a voting member of the American Institute for Economic Research. He is also a former President of The Association of Private Enterprise Education and a long-time member of the Mont Pelerin Society. Hobbs earned his B.A. in History and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from Florida State University. His research interests include property rights, economic freedom, economic growth, financial markets, and the philosophic foundations of markets. Hobbs' articles and reviews have appeared in a wide variety of journals, including Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, the Journal of Accounting and Finance Research, Laissez-Faire, the Journal of Economics and Finance Education, The Journal of Private Enterprise, the Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy, and Research in Finance. He is currently working on a book project promoting humanism through classical liberalism.