Adam Smith studied under Francis Hutcheson, befriended David Hume and went on to become one of the chief figures of the Scottish Enlightenment. This anthology collects selections from Smith's books and his other work. It also includes two important letters from Hume, as well as Smith's account of Hume's death.

Adam Smith studied under Francis Hutcheson, befriended David Hume and went on to become one of the chief figures of the Scottish Enlightenment. Smith's "Theory of Moral Sentiments and Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" enjoyed considerable acclaim during his lifetime and have since achieved canonical status. This anthology collects, for the first time in one volume, generous selections from each of Smith's books and his other work, including his lectures on jurisprudence, his history and philosophy of science, his criticism and belles lettres, and his philosophy of language. It also includes two important letters from Hume, as well as Smith's account of Hume's death.

Part One: Moral Theory. Selections from The Theory of Moral Sentiments, including Smith's discussions of:
The pleasure of 'mutual sympathy of sentiments'
The origins of the conscience, or 'impartial spectator'
The origins and development of commonly shared moral standards
The fundamental elements of human psychology
Part Two: Political Economy. Selections from The Wealth of Nations and Smith's lectures on jurisprudence, including his discussions of:
The division of labour and its advantages and liabilities
The nature of market exchange, the price mechanism, and the 'invisible hand'
Human motivation and the limits of human knowledge
Schooling, religion, competition, and the proper role of government
The four-stages theory of human history
Part Three: Language, Criticism, and the Arts. Selections from Smith's writings on:
The origins of human languages and their principles of change
The nature of 'imitation' in painting, music, dance, and poetry
Part Four: History and Philosophy of Science. A selection from Smith's History of Astronomy (1795), including his discussions of:
Wonder, surprise, and admiration
The principles of scientific development
The contributions of Aristotle, Ptolemy, Copernicus, Brahe, Galileo, Kepler, Descartes, and Newton
The nature of philosophical or scientific method
Part Five: Correspondence.
Smith's letter to the March 1756 Edinburgh Review, outlining the foreign literature and philosophy that learned Scots should read and study
Hume's 12 April 1759 letter to Smith, on the reception in Edinburgh of TMS
Hume's 28 July 1759 letter to Smith, containing Hume's objections to TMS
Smith's 9 November 1776 letter to William Strahan, on the death of Hume