: He famously described money as the "oil which renders the motion of the wheels more smooth," but not part of the wheels themselves. In the long run, doubling the money supply only doubles prices without increasing real wealth.
The monetary theories of David Hume and Adam Smith represent the bedrock of classical economics, establishing how money interacts with prices, trade, and banking. While they were close friends, their views on how money impacts an economy differed significantly. David Hume: The Price-Specie Flow Mechanism Monetary Theory and Policy from Hume and Smith ...
Hume’s primary contribution was the , which he used to dismantle the mercantilist obsession with hoarding gold. : He famously described money as the "oil
: If a country gains more gold (specie), its prices rise. This makes its exports expensive and imports cheap, causing gold to flow out until equilibrium is restored. While they were close friends, their views on