Adam Smith
Adam Smith, (1723-90). Scottish political economist and moral philosopher. He became professor of logic at Glasgow University in 1751 and in 1776 he wrote The Wealth of Nations, advocating free trade and private enterprise in place of mercantilism. Smith’s doctrines played an important role in establishing economics as a separate science. As well as his work on economics, Smith wrote on the history of astronomy, language, and the arts.