KNTV PHILOSOPHY

ADAM SMITH

BACKGROUND

A Scottish philosopher and political economist, Smith was a key figure in the Scottish Enlightenment, an explosion of pioneering intellectual and scientific advances that streamed out of 18th-century Scotland. Revered in his own day, Smith is mainly remembered for his book, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776), a rationale for capitalism and free trade that underpins modern free market theories.

Influences

David Hume (1711-1776)

Another important thinker in the Scottish Enlightenment, Hume's atheism meant he was disallowed from teaching in universities. Best known as a historian in his own time, he is now chiefly remembered as an influential philosopher who was the first to suggest a naturalistic philosophy, based on the idea that supernatural and divine forces do not exist, and that human experience and knowledge are the best test of the truth.

Francis Hutcheson (1694-1746)

A British philosopher and one of the founders of the Scottish Enlightenment, Hutcheson developed the theory of moral sense, and suggested that people distinguish between good and bad moral judgements by using an inborn intuition, rather than by reasoning. His ideas influenced Smith to think about the impact of reason and emotion on people's moral behaviour.

Timeline

1723 Adam Smith is born in Kirkaldy, Scotland, and baptised on 5 June. His father dies before he is born.

1726 Adam is kidnapped by tinkers, then rescued by his uncle.

1737 Smith studies moral philosophy at Glasgow University, taught by Professor Francis Hutcheson.

1740 He goes to Balliol College, Oxford.

1746 He leaves Oxford and returns to Scotland.

1748 From now on, Smith is part of the brilliant circle of thinkers in the Scottish Enlightenment.

1750 He befriends philosopher David Hume.

1751 He becomes Professor of Logic at Glasgow University.

1759 Smith publishes Theory of Moral Sentiments.

1764-1766 He travels on the Grand Tour of Europe as tutor to the Duke of Buccleuch, and meets influential philosophers including Voltaire and Quesnay.

1766 Smith returns to Scotland, and starts writing The Wealth of Nations.

1776 He moves to London, and publishes The Wealth of Nations. David Hume dies.

1778 Smith is made Commissioner of Customs and moves back to Scotland to live with his mother.

1787 He becomes Lord Rector of Glasgow University.

1790 Adam Smith dies and is buried in Edinburgh.