In Part 2, “Ideas That Changed the World,” Norberg shifts the focus to Smith’s impact on today’s global economy. This episode illustrates how principles of free trade and economic freedom that Smith championed in The Wealth of Nations have shaped modern prosperity—spanning breakthroughs in China’s economic liberalization to Hong Kong’s rise under Sir John Cowperthwaite.

These two 56-minute episodes together trace Smith’s development from moral philosopher to the “father of modern economics,” showing how his insights into morality and trade continue to underpin today’s interconnected global markets.