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, a Scottish economist and philosopher, was born in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland. The exact date of his birth is unknown, however, he was baptized on June 5, 1723. was the son of , the comptroller of the customs at Kirkcaldy, and of Margaret Douglas. He was the only ....

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.... 1737 and became a student of moral philosophy. He then transferred to Balliol College, Oxford, three years later. He continued to attend the college until 1746. In 1748 Smith began to deliver a series of public lectures in Edinburgh on “the progress of opulence”, or on wealth and its increase. In 1751 Smith was appointed professor of logic at Glasgow, and the next year he became the professor of moral philosophy. His subject matter included ethics, law, rhetoric, and political economy or economics. became one of the most influential figures in the development of modern economic theory due to his influential work “An Inquiry into the ....