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This work was about those standards of ethical conduct that hold society together, with emphasis on the general harmony of human motives and activities under a beneficent Providence.

Making an inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, which examined in detail the consequences of economic freedom. referencing concepts like the role of self-interest, the division of labor, the function of markets, and the international implications of a laissez-faire economy. “Wealth of Nations” established economics as an autonomous subject and launched the economic doctrine of free enterprise.

The free market and “the invisible hand,” demonstrated here, is how self-interest guides the most efficient use of resources in a nation's economy, with public welfare coming as a by-product. To underscore the laissez-faire convictions, the state and personal efforts, to promote social good are ineffectual compared to unbridled market forces.