To anyone who has studied philosophy, economics, history, social sciences or perhaps any subject, is familiar with the the famous philosopher Adam Smith and his concept of the invisible hand. While his philosophies and great works are well known, not much else about him is common knowledge. I chose this philosopher out of the many options, so that I could learn about the man we love to quote. The focus of this paper is to give a detailed and thorough account of Smith’s life, the influences that guided him and the legacy he has left behind. Smith’s exact birthdate is unknown, but is sure his baptism was on the 5th of June in 1723 in the town of Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland and that he died on July 17th 1790 in Edinburgh.(Rae, 1985, pg.10).
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During his time as a young man studying, Smith began to form a foundation from which his philosophies would flourish from. In John Rae’s (1995) work, “The Life of Adam Smith”, Francis Hutcheson, is said to be the principal inspiration and founder of all Smith’s ideas (pg. 13). Smith looked up to Hutcheson and aligned himself with his views specifically on liberty, reason and free speech (Weinstein, n.d). Hutcheson taught him a multitude of subjects such as moral philosophy, economics, and human studies. The Wealth of Nations is said to have sprung from lessons Smith learned with Hutcheson (Ross, 1995, xvii-1). We can further see just how much Hutcheson meant to Smith from the quote, “…if he [Smith] was any man's disciple, he was Hutcheson’s” (Rae, 1985, pg. …show more content…
His legacy has been widespread across the world earning him the title of “Father of Economics”, as as one of the founders of the field of social science by many by many (Adam, 2008). His wisdom has inspired countless philosophers, politicians and governments. To name a few that Smith has inspired: Margaret Thatcher, Thomas Jefferson, Karl Marx, David Ricardo, John Maynard Keynes and Milton Friedman (Adam, 2008). His words on politics, economics and social interactions have inspired neoliberal governing systems and world rules to instil a “laissez-faire” approach to their markets (Adam,
During his time as a young man studying, Smith began to form a foundation from which his philosophies would flourish from. In John Rae’s (1995) work, “The Life of Adam Smith”, Francis Hutcheson, is said to be the principal inspiration and founder of all Smith’s ideas (pg. 13). Smith looked up to Hutcheson and aligned himself with his views specifically on liberty, reason and free speech (Weinstein, n.d). Hutcheson taught him a multitude of subjects such as moral philosophy, economics, and human studies. The Wealth of Nations is said to have sprung from lessons Smith learned with Hutcheson (Ross, 1995, xvii-1). We can further see just how much Hutcheson meant to Smith from the quote, “…if he [Smith] was any man's disciple, he was Hutcheson’s” (Rae, 1985, pg. …show more content…
His legacy has been widespread across the world earning him the title of “Father of Economics”, as as one of the founders of the field of social science by many by many (Adam, 2008). His wisdom has inspired countless philosophers, politicians and governments. To name a few that Smith has inspired: Margaret Thatcher, Thomas Jefferson, Karl Marx, David Ricardo, John Maynard Keynes and Milton Friedman (Adam, 2008). His words on politics, economics and social interactions have inspired neoliberal governing systems and world rules to instil a “laissez-faire” approach to their markets (Adam,