Adam Smith

author

Adam Smith

1723–1790

A central figure of the Scottish Enlightenment, he helped shape the way people still think about markets, work, and moral life. Best known for The Wealth of Nations, he wrote with a rare mix of philosophical depth and practical curiosity.

4 Audiobooks

The Theory of Moral Sentiments Or, an Essay Towards an Analysis of the Principles by Which Men Naturally Judge Concerning the Conduct and Character, First of Their Neighbours, and Afterwards of Themselves. to Which Is Added, a Dissertation on the Origin of Languages.

The Theory of Moral Sentiments Or, an Essay Towards an Analysis of the Principles by Which Men Naturally Judge Concerning the Conduct and Character, First of Their Neighbours, and Afterwards of Themselves. to Which Is Added, a Dissertation on the Origin of Languages.

by Adam Smith

An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations

An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations

by Adam Smith

The Essays of Adam Smith

The Essays of Adam Smith

by Adam Smith

An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations

An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations

by Adam Smith, M. (Germain) Garnier

About the author

Born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, in 1723, Adam Smith studied at the University of Glasgow and later at Balliol College, Oxford. He went on to become a professor of moral philosophy at Glasgow, where his teaching and writing grew out of big questions about ethics, society, and human behavior.

Smith is best known for two major books: The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759), which explores sympathy, conscience, and moral judgment, and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776), a landmark work in political economy. Together, they show that he was not just interested in money or trade, but in how people live together and build functioning societies.

He died in Edinburgh in 1790, but his influence has lasted for centuries. Often called the father of modern economics, he remains important not only to economists, but also to readers interested in philosophy, politics, and the ideas of the Enlightenment.