Adam Smith – Author Biography
Early Life
Adam Smith was born in June 1723 in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. A precocious student, he entered the University of Glasgow at fourteen and later studied at Balliol College, Oxford. He became professor of moral philosophy at Glasgow, where his lectures drew students from across Europe.
Career
Smith first made his name with The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759), on the nature of sympathy and ethics. After years of research — including travels in France meeting Voltaire and the Physiocrats — he published An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776), the founding text of modern economics. It argued that the division of labour, free markets, and competition generate prosperity, introducing the famous metaphor of the “invisible hand.” He spent his final years as a customs commissioner in Edinburgh, dying in 1790.
Major Works
The Wealth of Nations (1776) and The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759).
Writing Style and Themes
Smith wrote in the measured, example-rich prose of the Scottish Enlightenment, building grand theories from everyday observations — the pin factory being his most famous. His recurring themes are the division of labour, self-interest channelled toward public benefit, the dangers of monopoly, and the moral foundations that markets require.
Legacy
Smith is the father of modern economics; The Wealth of Nations remains the most cited economics book ever written. His image appears on British currency, and his ideas — debated, revised, never ignored — underpin contemporary economic thought.
