Adam Smith

Adam Smith: The Moral Life of Economics
A Cultural and Philosophical Reading of His Major Works

Adam Smith lived in 18th-century Scotland, at the height of the Scottish Enlightenment-an era marked by critical thinkers, a hunger for knowledge, and an urgent desire to address the practical challenges of their time. Far from the battles and power struggles of his age, Smith led a quiet yet profound life: that of a thinker devoted to the relentless pursuit of understanding. It was not an epic of conquest, but of ideas-the intellectual journey of a university professor who asked fundamental questions about human nature, society, and the moral fabric of economic life.

This book offers a unified interpretation of his two major works: The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations. In contrast to the simplistic image of Smith as a champion of selfish interest, here we recover a deeply humanist thinker-concerned with balancing liberty, empathy, and social justice.

The author takes us on an intellectual journey that spans from ancient Greek philosophy to the Scottish Enlightenment, unveiling the cultural, religious, and philosophical currents that shaped Smith's legacy. Rather than separating economics and morality, Smith weaves them together-envisioning an economy grounded in sympathy, mutual awareness, and collective responsibility.

This is an invitation to discover a man whose life was itself a philosophical inquiry. A compelling read for anyone interested in philosophy, the history of ideas, economics, or the ethical dilemmas of the modern world.