ECONOMIST

Adam Smith

1723 - 1790

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Adam Smith (baptised 16 June [O.S. 5 June] 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the field of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as the "father of economics" or the "father of capitalism". He is known for two classic works: The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759) and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776). The latter, often abbreviated as The Wealth of Nations, is regarded as his magnum opus, marking the inception of modern economic scholarship as a comprehensive system and an academic discipline. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Adam Smith is the most popular economist, the 4th most popular biography from United Kingdom (down from 2nd in 2019) and the most popular British Economist.

Adam Smith is most famous for his book "The Wealth of Nations" which was published in 1776. In this book, Smith argues that the pursuit of self-interest leads to the betterment of society.

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Among ECONOMISTS

Among economists, Adam Smith ranks 1 out of 414After him are Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, David Ricardo, Thomas Robert Malthus, John Stuart Mill, Herbert A. Simon, Friedrich Hayek, Frédéric Passy, Vilfredo Pareto, Milton Friedman, and François Quesnay.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1723, Adam Smith ranks 1After him are Baron d'Holbach, Frederick V of Denmark, Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, Joshua Reynolds, Carl Friedrich Abel, Mathurin Jacques Brisson, Jean-François Marmontel, Princess Caroline Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt, Adam Ferguson, Prithvi Narayan Shah, and Anna Amalia, Abbess of Quedlinburg. Among people deceased in 1790, Adam Smith ranks 1After him are Benjamin Franklin, Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, Duchess Elisabeth of Württemberg, Ernst Gideon von Laudon, András Hadik, Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, Nikolaus I, Prince Esterházy, Mohammed ben Abdallah, Jacob Christian Schäffer, Johann Bernhard Basedow, and William Cullen.

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, Adam Smith ranks 4 out of 8,785Before him are Isaac Newton (1643), Elizabeth I of England (1533), and Henry VIII of England (1491). After him are William Shakespeare (1564), Charles, Prince of Wales (1948), Charles Darwin (1809), George VI (1895), Francis Bacon (1561), Charles I of England (1600), Charlie Chaplin (1889), and George V (1865).

Among ECONOMISTS In United Kingdom

Among economists born in United Kingdom, Adam Smith ranks 1After him are John Maynard Keynes (1883), David Ricardo (1772), Thomas Robert Malthus (1766), John Stuart Mill (1806), Alfred Marshall (1842), John Law (1671), John Hicks (1904), William Petty (1623), Ronald Coase (1910), Lionel Robbins (1898), and Benjamin Graham (1894).