Mikhailenko, Yu. P. Adam Smith: Becoming a Scientist. Part 1

Abstract: Adam Smith was lucky to receive brilliant and versatile education. He received his primary education in his native Scottish town Kirkcaldy and then studied in such great universities as the University of Glasgow and Oxford. In 1759 he published his first significant work that made him famous. Then Smith gave lectures at universities in his native land — those were lectures in ethics, law, politics and economics. At the University of Glasgow Smith actively participated in the first political economy club ever created. In 1764-1767 Smith and his student visited Paris where Smith got an opportunity to expand his knowledge communicating with famous intellectual leaders of the time such as Turgot and others. In 1767-1776 Smith created his most significant work ‘The Wealth of Nations’ that gave him the fame of the pioneer of classical English political economy. However, Smith did not manage to solve the contradiction between the two most important categories in his works — altruism and egoism. Studying the history of ideas, Smith disagreed with Plato’s and Aristotle’s conception about inherited differences between people and talked about natural equality of all people instead.

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