An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (Annotated)

Differentiated book- It has a historical context with research of the time-The purpose of realizing this historical context is to approach the understanding of a historical epoch from the elements provided by the text. Hence the importance of placing the document in context. It is necessary to unravel what its author or authors have said, how it has been said, when, why and where, always relating it to its historical momentAdam Smith (1723-1790) was born in 1723 in Kilcardy, Scotland. His father, judge and customs officer, died at birth. His mother raised him in Kilcardy himself. At fourteen he entered the University of Glasgow, where he made contact with Francis Hutcheson, who had also been a professor at David Hume. Hutcheson had a lot of influence on Smith and owes him largely his ideas about political freedom. In 1740, Adam Smith won a scholarship to Oxford, spending the following years at Balliol College. Oxford was in decline and, although he received little formal education, he made good use of his time and read a lot. In 1747 he returned to Kilcardy and, shortly thereafter, began teaching at the University of Edinburgh. A few years later he was appointed Professor of Logic at the University of Glasgow, moving to the Chair of Moral Philosophy when he became vacant in 1752. His classes in Glasgow resulted in one of his main works, "The Theory of Moral Sentiments", which was published in 1759. This book was very successful and went to the hands of Charles Townshend, the politician,