Autobiography of Adam. "The Theory of Moral Sentiments"

A brief biography of Adam Smith allows you to better know what the famous Scottish economist who founded modern economic theory was like in life. He is also known as an ethical philosopher.

Economist biography

A brief biography of Adam Smith begins in 1723. He was born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. It is worth recognizing that the full capital biography of the economist does not exist so far. Still, the 18th century was a time when documenting every step of a person was not accepted. Therefore, we do not know all the details of Smith's life thoroughly, even his exact date of birth. But it is known for sure that his father was an educated person - a lawyer and a customs official. True, two months after the birth of Adam, he died.

His mother was the daughter of a large landowner, who made sure that the boy received a comprehensive education. A short biography of Adam Smith claims that he was the only child in the family, since no data on his brothers and sisters has been preserved. A sharp turn in his fate happened at the age of 4, when he was kidnapped by gypsies. True, it was not possible to take the boy far away. His relatives rescued him. Instead of living in a camp, he studied at a good school in Kirkcaldy, from early childhood he was surrounded by a large number of books.

Smith's education

At the age of 14, the future economist entered the University of Glasgow. A short biography of Adam Smith after that began to take shape successfully. After all, he was in the so-called center of Scottish education. For two years he studied the foundations of philosophy with the famous deist Francis Hutcheson. Smith's education was very versatile. The university course included logic, moral philosophy, ancient languages, in particular, ancient Greek, as well as astronomy and mathematics.

At the same time, in a brief biography of Adam Smith, it is noted that fellow students considered him at least strange. For example, he could easily think deeply, finding himself in a noisy and cheerful company, while not reacting to others in any way.

In 1740, Adam Smith continued his education at Oxford. A brief biography of the economist allows you to find out that he received a scholarship there, having studied for a total of 6 years. At the same time, the scientist himself was very critical of the education received there, noting that most of the professors in this educational institution had long ago abandoned even the appearance of teaching. At the same time, he was regularly ill and did not show the slightest interest in the economy.

Scientific activity

Adam Smith began his scientific and teaching activities in 1748 (a brief biography of the scientist claims that). He began lecturing at the beginning. At first, they had nothing to do with economics, but devoted to English literature, and later to jurisprudence, economics and sociology, so beloved by his father.

It was at this university that Adam Smith first developed an interest in economics. Scottish economist and philosopher began to express the ideas of economic liberalism in the early 1750s.

Smith's achievements

It is known that in 1750 Adam Smit (Adam Smith), in whose brief biography this is necessarily mentioned, met the Scottish philosopher David Hume. Their views were similar, which was reflected in their numerous joint works. They were devoted not only to economics, but also to religion, politics, philosophy, and history. These two scholars played perhaps the key role in Scottish enlightenment.

In 1751, Smith received a position as professor of logic at the University of Glasgow, from which he had once graduated. His next achievement was the post of dean, which he got in 1758.

Scientific works

In 1759 Smith published his popular book The Theory of Moral Sentiments. It was based on his lectures at the University of Glasgow. In this work, he analyzed in detail the ethical standards of behavior, actually speaking out against church morality, which for that time was a very revolutionary statement. As an alternative to the fear of falling into hell, Smith offered to evaluate his actions from the point of view of morality, while speaking in favor of the ethical equality of all people.

Personal life of a scientist

Very little is known about Adam Smith's private life. The information is incomplete and fragmentary. So, it is believed that twice, in Glasgow and Edinburgh, he almost got married, but for some reason this did not happen.

As a result, the scientist spent his whole life with his mother, who died only 6 years before her son, as well as a cousin, who remained an old maid. Contemporaries of the scientist claim that traditional Scottish food was always served in his house, local customs were valued.

Economic theory

But nevertheless, the most important work of the scientist is the treatise. It was published in 1776. The treatise consists of five books. In the first, the economist investigates the causes by which it is possible to increase the productivity of labor, and consequently to distribute the product among the classes of the people in a natural way.

The second book deals with the nature of capital, its application and accumulation. This is followed by a part about how wealth developed among different peoples, then the systems of political economy are considered. And in the final book, the author writes about the income that the state and the monarch receive.

A new approach to economics was proposed by Adam Smith. A brief biography, quotes and aphorisms are well known to all his admirers. The most famous saying is that the entrepreneur is guided by the invisible hand of the market to a goal that may not have originally been his intention. Smith in his book offers his own view on the role of the state in the economic system. In the future, this became known as classical economic theory.

In accordance with it, the state is obliged to take upon itself the issues of ensuring the safety of human life, as well as the inviolability of his private property. It should also help resolve disputes between citizens on the basis of law and justice. Summarizing, we can say that the state should take on those functions that an individual person cannot perform or does it inefficiently.

Smith was the first scientist to describe the principles of the market economy. He argued vehemently that every entrepreneur strives to achieve his private and personal interests. However, in the end, this benefits the whole society, even if a particular businessman did not think about it or did not want it. Smith called economic freedoms the main condition for achieving such a result, which should become the basis for the activities of economic entities. There must also be freedom in competition, decision-making and choice of field of activity.

Smith died in Edinburgh in 1790. He was 67 years old. He suffered from bowel disease.

Adam Smith was born in the summer of 1723 in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland. Only the date when he was baptized in the local church is known for certain: June 5. The father of the child died before the birth of his son, and therefore the upbringing of the boy fell entirely on the shoulders of the mother. When Adam was four years old, he was kidnapped by gypsies, but the whole district rose up, and a detachment led by the boy's uncle returned the child to his mother. Despite poor health, Adam learned to read early, and his mother made sure that the boy received a good primary education.

At the age of fourteen, Adam Smith went to Glasgow and entered the university. Here, for two years, he studied the foundations of philosophy with the famous teacher of the time, Francis Hutchison. Very many bright personalities of that time were brought up on the brilliant lectures of this professor, and his special merit is that he was the first at the University of Glasgow to start lecturing in a common, understandable language, and not in Latin.

Two years later, Adam Smith received a Master of Arts degree and was awarded a scholarship for further education for academic excellence. Adam chose Oxford as his place of study and became a student at Balliol College. Adam Smith later called six years of study at Oxford the most mediocre and unhappy years of his life. The fact is that the British treated the Scots without much warmth, and even teachers considered it possible to mock people from the provinces. If not for the stubborn nature of Adam and not for his independent studies, he would have taken little out of the walls of Oxford. By the way, he left there without receiving the required diploma.

Returning to Scotland, Adam Smith changed his mind about becoming a priest and decided to make a living from literary work. He prepared and gave public lectures in Edinburgh on jurisprudence, belles-lettres and rhetoric. These lectures brought Adam Smith some fame and even official recognition: he was invited to teach at the University of Glasgow and in 1751 became professor of logic, and a year later - professor of moral philosophy. Adam Smith himself did not aspire to titles and greatness. He was a stranger to political and secular ambitions and believed that happiness in no way could depend on the social position occupied by a person, and only a favorite job, good health and peace of mind could bring true joy. By the way, apart from his mother and cousin, Adam Smith never had a family. Apparently, the reason for this was that even in his youth he suffered a serious disappointment, which forever averted thoughts of marriage.

Adam Smith's lectures were extremely popular. He developed a whole course that included ethics, theology, history, politics and jurisprudence. In order to hear the famous lecturer, people came from the most remote places. It was also important that Adam Smith's lectures were obligatory and extremely hotly discussed in all literary societies and clubs of Glasgow. Listeners not only repeated Smith's expressions word for word - they even tried to imitate his movements and manner of speaking, considering this a special factor of persuasion. Meanwhile, Adam Smith was very far from the image of an experienced and eloquent speaker. His diction was not distinguished by distinctness, his voice had excessive harshness, and at times the lecturer almost stuttered. His notorious distraction was also a topic of conversation. People around often noticed that Adam spoke quietly in the absence of an interlocutor, and even objected to himself, and a slight smile wandered on his face.

In 1752, Adam Smith met and became friends with David Hume, a Scottish philosopher and historian, who, moreover, had the fame of a major economist. These two people were in many ways similar - both enthusiastically studied political economy and ethics, both had their own view of the surrounding reality, both were distinguished by an inquisitive mindset. They learned a lot from each other, and Adam Smith developed some of Hume's brilliant ideas and thoughts in his works.

The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Adam Smith's first work, was published in 1759. This work brought Smith wide fame, as it actually explored the psychology of man in society and determined the need to follow moral principles. It should be noted that The Theory of Moral Sentiments was one of the most striking works concerning the ethics of the 18th century. In his book, Smith developed and continued the ideas of Shaftesberry and Hume, but at the same time developed a completely new system of ethics, which was a new step compared to the systems of his predecessors.

The popularity of Adam Smith grew so much that the Duke of Buckley, going on a trip to Europe with his family, invited the philosopher to accompany him. Perhaps Adam Smith would have refused this offer, but the duke put forward a very weighty argument - he offered the professor a lifetime pension of three hundred pounds every year. The money was large enough and allowed Adam Smith to no longer worry about his livelihood, concentrating his energies on writing new books.

Adam Smith's journey with the Duke of Buckley began in 1764 and lasted a little less than three years and passed through the cities of France and Italy. In Paris, Adam Smith was able to make close acquaintance with many prominent writers and philosophers of that era. He talked with Helvetius and d'Alembert, but, according to him, he had especially important conversations with Turgot, a brilliant economist and future controller of France's finances. Smith was not particularly proficient in French, but this did not prevent long conversations about political economy and free trade. In addition, they both agreed in many respects - for example, they believed that the intervention of the state system in the economy should be limited.

Returning to Scotland, Adam Smith began to live in seclusion in his parental home, devoting all the time to the main book of his life. For ten years, Adam Smith spent almost complete isolation from people, arguing in letters to Hume that calm reflections promoted his work much more than idle interlocutors. In 1776, Adam Smith's book An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations was published, in which he brilliantly combined abstract theory with a detailed description of production and trade and the features of their development. With this work, Adam Smith, by universal recognition, created in fact a new science of the relationship between people, the state and production - political economy. This work consists of five books. The first and second books are an essay on theoretical economics. The third and fourth are devoted to the history of economic views related to European economic history after the fall of Rome. In the fifth book, Smith identified the links between financial science and management science. The basic idea, which the economist so brilliantly proved, is that human labor is a factor and source of universal wealth. Adam Smith also came to the conclusion that the most important engine of economic progress is the division of labor. The most important thing for Adam Smith's contemporaries was that in his work he described the contemporary economic system and showed its unsuitability for new economic conditions. The ideas of Adam Smith actually defended the emerging bourgeoisie, served it precisely, although the economist himself was very far from protecting the interests of landowners, the bourgeoisie or aristocrats.

In 1778, Adam Smith was offered a position on the Scottish Customs Board. He agreed and moved to Edinburgh for permanent residence. Now his visits to London were necessarily accompanied by lectures on economics, which the public perceived as revelations and met with admiration. One of the enthusiastic admirers of Adam Smith was William Pitt, Jr., the future Prime Minister of England, who later tried to put the basic principles of Adam Smith's economy into practice. The Prime Minister had a lot of time to study the famous book - after all, when he got acquainted with this work, he was only eighteen years old.

In 1787, Adam Smith was elected rector of the University of Glasgow. In the same year, he came to London for the last time - to participate in a traditional dinner of famous politicians in England. Adam Smith was late for this dinner, and when he entered the hall, all those present rose to their feet. Embarrassed by this reception, the economist muttered, "Sit down, gentlemen!" We will remain standing until you, our teacher, sit down.” By the way, Adam Smith sincerely admired William Peet Jr., arguing that this man understands his ideas much better than their author himself.

Adam Smith never left Edinburgh again. Soon his mother died, and, according to friends, Smith completely lost heart after this loss. He became even more unsociable and also became very seriously ill. The great economist died on July 17, 1790. Before his death, he ordered the destruction of all his unfinished works, as if once again reminding posterity of contempt for worldly vanity and vanity.

Adam Smith- Scottish political economist, economist, philosopher and one of the founders of modern economic theory. His achievements in the field of economics as a science are compared with the Newtonian achievements in physics in terms of significance.

short biography

A small number of facts from the biography of Adam Smith have survived. It is known that he born June 1723(the exact date of his birth is unknown) and baptized on June 5 in the town Kirkcaldy in the Scottish county of Fife.

His father is a customs official also named Adam Smith died 2 months before the birth of his son. It is assumed that Adam was the only child in the family. At the age of 4, he was kidnapped by gypsies, but was quickly rescued by his uncle and returned to his mother. Kirkcaldy had a good school, and from childhood Adam was surrounded by books.

Study period

Aged 14 years old Adam Smith entered the University of Glasgow, where he studied the ethical foundations of philosophy for two years under the guidance of Francis Hutcheson. In his first year, he studied logic (this was a mandatory requirement), then moved to the class of moral philosophy. He studied ancient languages ​​(especially ancient Greek), mathematics and astronomy.

Adam had a reputation for being strange but intelligent. In 1740 he entered Oxford on a scholarship to continue his education, and graduated from it in 1746.

Smith was critical of the quality of education at Oxford, writing in "Wealth of Nations", what "At Oxford University, most of the professors have, for many years now, abandoned even the semblance of teaching altogether". At the university, he was often sick, read a lot, but did not yet show interest in economics.

Homecoming

Summer 1746 he returned to Kirkcaldy, where he educated himself for two years. In 1748 Smith began lecturing at Edinburgh University. Initially, these were lectures on English literature, later - on natural law (which included jurisprudence, political doctrine, sociology and economics).

It was the preparation of lectures for the students of this university that became the impetus for the formulation by Adam Smith of his ideas about the problems of economics. He began to express the ideas of economic liberalism, presumably, in 1750-1751.

The basis of Adam Smith's scientific theory was the desire to look at man from three sides: from the standpoint of morality and morality, from civil and state positions, from economic positions.

Ideas by Adam Smith

Adam lectured on rhetoric, the art of letter writing, and later on the subject of "achieving wealth", where he first expounded economic philosophy in detail. "obvious and simple system of natural freedom" which is reflected in his most famous work .

Around 1750, Adam Smith met David Hume who was almost a decade older than him. The similarity of their views, reflected in their writings on history, politics, philosophy, economics and religion, shows that together they formed an intellectual alliance that played an important role in the period of the emergence of the so-called "Scottish Enlightenment".

"The Theory of Moral Sentiments"

In 1751 Smith was appointed professor of logic at the University of Glasgow. Smith lectured on ethics, rhetoric, jurisprudence, and political economy. In 1759 Smith published a book "The Theory of Moral Sentiments" based on the materials of his lectures.

In this work, Smith analyzed ethical standards of conduct providing social stability. At the same time, he actually spoke out against church morality, based on the fear of the afterlife and the promises of paradise.

He proposed as the basis of moral assessments "principle of sympathy", according to which morality is what causes the approval of impartial and insightful observers, and also spoke in favor of the ethical equality of people - the same applicability of moral standards to all people.

Smith lived in Glasgow for 12 years, regularly leaving for 2-3 months in Edinburgh. He was respected, made himself a circle of friends, led the lifestyle of a club man-bachelor.

Personal life

Information has been preserved that Adam Smith almost got married twice, in Edinburgh and Glasgow, but for some reason this did not happen. Neither in the memoirs of contemporaries, nor in his correspondence no evidence has survived that it would seriously affect him.

Smith lived with his mother survived by 6 years) and an unmarried cousin ( who died two years before). One of the contemporaries who visited Smith's house made a record, according to which the national Scottish food was served in the house, Scottish customs were observed.

Smith appreciated folk songs, dances and poetry, one of his last book orders was several copies of the first published volume of poetry. Robert Burns. Despite the fact that Scottish morality did not encourage theater, Smith himself loved it, especially French theater.

The Wealth of Nations book

Smith became world famous after the publication of the book "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" in 1776. This book analyzes in detail how the economy could operate in complete economic freedom and exposes everything that prevents it.

The Wealth of Nations opened economics as a science
based on the doctrine of free enterprise

The book substantiates the concept freedom of economic development, the socially useful role of individual egoism is shown, the special significance of the division of labor and the vastness of the market for the growth of labor productivity and national welfare is emphasized.

Last years

In 1778 Smith was appointed one of five Scottish Customs Commissioners in Edinburgh. Having a salary of £600, which was very high for those times, he continued to lead a modest lifestyle, spending money on charity. The only value left after him was the library collected during his life.

During Smith's lifetime, The Theory of Moral Sentiments was published 6 times, and "The Wealth of Nations" - Five times; the third edition of "Wealth" was significantly supplemented, including the chapter "Conclusion on the Mercantilist System".

In Edinburgh, Smith had his own club, on Sundays he arranged dinners for friends, visited, among others, Princess Vorontsova-Dashkova.

Adam Smith passed away July 17, 1790 aged 67 in Edinburgh after a long bowel disease.

Among economists and people close to this field, the name of Adam Smith is well known. And not without reason, because it was thanks to this man, who wrote many great works, that economic theory was founded as a science. And in general, the scientific research of the eighteenth century is divided by many into those that were "before" and those that appeared "after" Adam Smith. What was unique in the works of this man, and in himself?

early years

Incredible, but true: after almost three centuries, a quality biography of an outstanding scientist of the eighteenth century has not been written. Moreover, it is not even known exactly when he was born. We can say for sure that it was 1723, it was June in the yard. But with numbers it's more difficult. Some believe that the happy event in the Smith family took place on the fifth of June (the sixteenth according to the new style), others think that on this day the baby was baptized. There is a third point of view - the fifth of June is both the birthday and the day of the baptism of the newborn.

Be that as it may, but the future luminary of the economy was born in Scotland, in the small town of Kirkcaldy, in the family of a lawyer and the daughter of a landowner. It is obvious that he was the only child in the family; just two months after his birth, his father Adam passed away. The boy's mother, Margaret, was left alone with him. Perhaps it was this fact - that he was raised by one mother, and they had an extremely close relationship in childhood - that contributed to the fact that in adulthood Smith adored his mother and retained the deepest affection for her.

Some sources mention an interesting fact from Adam Smith's childhood: as if at the age of four, the baby was stolen by gypsies. However, the boy did not have time to get scared, because in hot pursuit he was tracked down by his own uncle and returned to his mother's hands. Whether this story corresponds to reality is also not known for certain, but what is absolutely certain is that Adam grew up as a rather quiet, sickly and weak child. Subsequently, legends will circulate about his absent-mindedness - he was absent-minded already in childhood. From an early age, he also loved to be alone - to think.

The school that the future scientist attended was considered very good, and Adam actually fell in love with both studies and books. They surrounded him everywhere - perhaps, and this played a role in his subsequent formation. As for study and diligence, it will suffice to say only that he excelled in Greek and Latin so much that at the age of fourteen young Adam was taken immediately to the second year of the University of Glasgow without question.

Youth

At the University of Glasgow, Adam Smith became closely acquainted with the ethical foundations of philosophy, logic, ancient Greek, philosophy and mathematics. He spent three years in Glasgow, and in 1740 received a scholarship among the best students and was sent to continue his studies at Oxford. Six years at this university gave Smith the right to later say that most of the faculty did not even keep the appearance of teaching. From these words, his attitude towards studying at Oxford becomes obvious. For this reason, upon returning to Scotland, Adam spent two years self-educating, filling in the gaps in knowledge.

During his stay at the university (even at two), Adam Smith was not yet interested in economics. The subject of his passion was moral philosophy, according to which he studied the mountains of literature. However, the young man read, in principle, a lot. And he was sick a lot and often - perhaps because of the rejection of his location and longing for his beloved mother.

Start of studies and interest in economics

The nature of Adam Smith's character (which will be discussed in more detail below) was such that when studying science, he could not help but become a lecturer. This happened in 1748 after the end of a two-year self-education course.

Smith's first teaching experience was in Edinburgh. A certain Lord Kames, an acquaintance of Smith, made him patronage - this is how the future scientist got to the University of Edinburgh, where he shared knowledge with students in several disciplines: English literature, jurisprudence, political science, economics, sociology, rhetoric, the art of writing letters, achieving wealth (yes Yes, there was such a thing. There seemed to be no area where Smith was incompetent. His lectures, thanks to two of his students, have survived to this day.

Perhaps it was the work with the students of Edinburgh that served as a turning point in his life, forcing Adam Smith to finally formulate everything that had been wandering in his head for a long time. It was then that he began to express his ideas on the problems of the economy. The basis of Adam Smith's theory was the desire to see a person from three sides - moral, civil and state, as well as economic. Around the same years, the young scientist began to develop the ideas of economic liberalism.

Then came the year 1750 - the year of the meeting with David Hume, who played a significant role in the fate of Smith. He was for that colleague and senior comrade, with whom Smith wrote an impressive number of works, and all thanks to the similarity of views on philosophy, economics, religion and politics. Their common works had a certain weight in their time. And just a year after meeting Hume, Smith ended up at the University of Glasgow - no longer as a student, but as a professor of logic. In this position, however, he did not stay long - only a few months, at the end of that year he moved to the department of moral philosophy, where he remained for thirteen years. During his time in Glasgow, Smith lectured on rhetoric, law, ethics, and political economy. According to eyewitnesses, it was so exciting that all of Scotland and England flocked to listen to the now famous professor, who, in his own words, was in love with all sciences in general. However, there were different opinions about Adam Smith's teaching style. He read brilliantly, interestingly, but unevenly. He needed time to “swing”: having ascended the pulpit and seeing dozens of attentive eyes in front of him, the professor was timid, did not know what to say, and for the first minutes of the lecture he simply muttered something under his breath to himself. But having found unflagging attention, he was inspired - and the lesson ended with such power, such pressure in the end, which no other teacher had. Smith was loved for the fact that he never read from a piece of paper - he always told himself, and not tediously, like from a textbook, but with improvisation. This, perhaps, attracted the audience.

In 1758, Adam Smith became dean, and a year later, taking the course of his lectures as a basis, he published his first work, The Theory of Moral Sentiments (a little more about it is given a little later). It was thanks to this work that the professor at the University of Glasgow became famous.

Future life

In 1764, a new milestone came in the life of the forty-year-old Smith. As briefly mentioned above, Adam Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments made him famous. His name became popular in many circles; Lord Townshend, the future Chancellor of the Exchequer, also became interested in the scientist. Yes, so much so that he invited Smith to accompany his stepson - the Duke of Buckle - on a trip to Europe. Not just like that, of course - the scientist was supposed to become a mentor to the young duke, in return he was offered an excellent salary, much more than he received at the university, all travel expenses were paid, and he was also given a unique opportunity to see Europe, which Adam Smith had long dreamed of. In general, he did not think for a long time - after leaving the University of Glasgow, he went to wander with the young Buccleuch. It was on this journey that Smith began work on the main work of his life - studies on the nature and wealth of nations. Adam Smith spent more than ten years on this research, however, we will return to this issue later.

During their journey, Buccleuch and Smith visited Toulouse, Geneva, and Paris. In general, the voyage lasted three years, and during this period Smith managed to make acquaintance with a huge number of people - including Voltaire. In 1767 he returned home to his mother. For the next six years he lived with her, tirelessly working on his most famous work, The Wealth of Nations. Adam Smith was a versatile, multifaceted personality. And before talking about the ideas and works of the scientist, you must first understand what kind of person he was after all.

Adam Smith: Economist and Man

The character of a person says a lot about him professionally. Knowing the characteristics of the character of a particular person, one can form an idea of ​​​​her and as a specialist in her field.

Smith, for example, was distracted - this has already been mentioned above. Scattered so much that it became a byword. It was said that he was found wandering alone in the field and did not even notice where he was going; that one day he fell into a tanning vat; that he could go out into the street in a dressing gown and walk aimlessly around the city; that, having forgotten who was at home, he could speak indelicately about this person; that he put almost a whole sugar bowl in his tea ... In general, his absent-mindedness was legendary, and all because Smith thought for days on end. He hatched his thoughts and ideas, argued with himself, reflected on the topics that worried him. All this was later reflected in the writings of Adam Smith.

Smith was not very handsome. Medium height, straight, with a huge nose and gray-blue eyes, he wore a wig, leaned on a bamboo cane (or carried it on his shoulder), dressed in such a way as not to draw too much attention to his person. This man was modest and even sometimes shy, awkward and delicate.

It is not known for sure whether he had a bride or at least love. Someone claims that he died without knowing physical intimacy, someone - that he almost got married twice, but fell through. Be that as it may, Smith lived with his mother and cousin, who also did not have a husband. Scottish traditions were observed in their house, they loved national dishes. As for Adam Smith's hobbies besides science, it is known that he loved song, dance, French theater and poetry - for example, Robert Burns.

Economist Ideas

Economics, philosophy and other disciplines, of course, existed before Smith. However, it was he, as contemporaries and followers later claimed, who became the one who set out the basis of science in an accessible way.

The central idea of ​​Adam Smith's teaching was as follows: the main problem of economic science is the economic development of society and its well-being. In order for society to have this well-being, according to Smith, the most important thing is that there must be work. It is he who is the essence of well-being - in other words, wealth.

In the methodology of the scientist, a global place is given to the concept of economic liberalism. Smith believed that only in the case when private interests are above the public, we can talk about a favorable impact on the economy. In this regard, he introduced such concepts as “economic man” (that is, a selfish person who satisfies the interests of others in order to satisfy his interests and / or desires, thus he achieves his goal through a deal with someone else’s egoism) and “invisible hand” (we are talking here about the presence of free competition and the solution of common problems through private interests). Also, one of the main ideas of Adam Smith was the idea that economic laws function in any civilized society. And for their functioning, there must be free competition - and this brings us back to the concept of the "invisible hand".

In the science of Adam Smith, a separate place is given to the concept of "natural order", with which the scientist characterizes market relations. In order for this order to exist, a "system of natural freedom" is needed, based again on nothing but private property. The state interferes with the development of the economy - this is the thesis of the author.

It is impossible not to mention another concept of Adam Smith - the theory of absolute advantages. This idea lies in the fact that each specific country specializes in something of its own, one, specific. Thus, country A has an absolute advantage in making pillows, for example, and country B has an absolute advantage in making fountain pens. And then country A has no need to puff up and try to do what it can’t do - that is, fountain pens. It is easier for her to purchase them from country B, a specialist in this field. And vice versa. In order to understand whether there are absolute advantages, it is necessary to compare the production of the same service / the same product in different states.

First job

Adam Smith's first publication was The Theory of Moral Sentiments, published in 1759. It brought fame to its author, who talked about what human relations are, how and from what they are built, and what allows society to remain a single whole, no matter what. This is not a tutorial on the rules of good manners, but a kind of textbook on how to remain a man among people. Adam Smith's science in this book is simple: everyone should be ethically equal.

Main labor

The work that truly glorified Adam Smith, the most famous and popular, is the work that the scientist wrote for more than ten years. He began sketching in 1964, during a trip to Toulouse, and finished only in 1976. We are talking, of course, about the huge work of Adam Smith - "The Wealth of Nations".

Smith made the very first attempts to present the ideas of the future edition in the sixty-third year, at least, notes found in the mid-thirties of the last century testify to this. They outline the essence of such concepts and problems as the division of labor, mercantilism, and so on. The book, which finally got into print, deals with the possibilities of the economy in conditions of economic freedom. Smith openly names everything that, in his opinion, hinders the resolution of this issue. In a study on the causes of the wealth of nations, Adam Smith also argues that division of labor is necessary for high productivity, in addition, he emphasizes the importance of a large assortment in the market.

The book “The Nature and Cause of the Wealth of Nations” begun on the trip, Adam Smith, upon returning from the tour, continued to write in the most native and calm place - at home, next to his mother. For six years he worked in silence and solitude - and most of the work was ready. It took another three years to bring everything to mind. Thus was born the essay that gave world fame to Adam Smith - "A Study on the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations." It was first published in London, reprinted five times during Smith's lifetime, translated into various languages.

Other works by Smith

Unfortunately, the great scientist did not write anything more outstanding. He dreamed of creating a work on jurisprudence, but did not have time. He published only his lectures on rhetoric and letter-writing, as well as on jurisprudence; published a couple of essays and a report on the life and scientific works of his friend David Hume. The last years of his life, Smith was seriously ill, perhaps the state of health did not have the best effect on the creative ideas of the economist. His last work was an essay on philosophy, published in 1785.

last years of life

From 1778, Adam Smith was among the customs commissioners of his country. He lived modestly, investing only in books and participating in charities. As mentioned above, he was seriously ill - he suffered from intestines, which is why he died in July 1790. After his death, he bequeathed to destroy his archive - this was done with precision. However, after Smith's death, his notes on astronomy, philosophy and fine arts were published, which could not be published during the author's lifetime.

The life of Adam Smith is the clearest example of the life of a true thinker, scientist, genius who laid down his life in the name of science. And all the more gratifying that all this was not in vain.

Adam Smith is a short biography of the Scottish economist and philosopher, the founder of the classical school of political economy, outlined in this article.

Short biography of Adam Smith

The future economist Adam Smith was born in the small town of Kirkcaldy in Scotland in the family of a customs officer. The exact date of birth is not known, but most researchers are of the opinion that Smith was born on June 5, 1723. And baptized, by the way, on the same day. The boy never saw his father, because he died before the birth of his son.

He received his secondary education at a local school. The mother tried to instill in her son a love of the book. Smith showed an interest in mental pursuits. From the age of 14, Adam studied philosophy at the University of Glasgow. He received a master's degree, as well as a scholarship for study. After 3 years, Smith enters Oxford College. He graduated from it in 1746. In Edinburgh, since 1748, with the support of Lord Kames, Adam lectured to students on economics, literature and law.

In 1750 he met David Hume. It turned out that he shared Smith's views in religion, philosophy, economics and politics. Together they wrote several works that played an important role during the period of the Scottish Enlightenment.

In 1751, the economist received a professorship of logic in Glasgow, lecturing on political economy, rhetoric and law. Based on the lectures, he wrote and published a scientific book in 1759 called The Theory of Moral Sentiments. She brought him popularity and became his most famous work. In his book, the author described the ethical standards of behavior that maintain stability in society, and also revealed a moral and ethical approach to solving equality among people.

In 1764, Smith went to France as an escort for the adopted son of the Duke of Buccleuch. For this work he was paid very well and Smith quits his job in Glasgow, devoting himself to writing a new book.

In 1776, Smith was in London and completed the book An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, which he had begun in France. It is still considered the foundation of economic education.

In 1778 Adam Smith moved to Edinburgh. Here he got a job as a customs commissioner. He took his work very seriously, so he had practically no time left for scientific activity. Smith began to sketch for his third book, but he did not have time to finish it. The scientist ordered to burn all his manuscripts, feeling that death was not far off.