During his time as a young man studying, Smith began to form a foundation from which his philosophies would flourish from. In John Rae’s (1995) work, “The Life of Adam Smith”, Francis Hutcheson, is said to be the principal inspiration and founder of all Smith’s ideas (pg. 13). Smith looked up to Hutcheson and aligned himself with his views specifically on liberty, reason and free speech (Weinstein, n.d). Hutcheson taught him a multitude of subjects such as moral philosophy, economics, and human studies. The Wealth of Nations is said to have sprung from lessons Smith learned with Hutcheson (Ross, 1995, xvii-1). We can further see just how much Hutcheson meant to Smith from the quote, “…if he [Smith] was any man's disciple, he was Hutcheson’s” (Rae, 1985, pg. …show more content…
His legacy has been widespread across the world earning him the title of “Father of Economics”, as as one of the founders of the field of social science by many by many (Adam, 2008). His wisdom has inspired countless philosophers, politicians and governments. To name a few that Smith has inspired: Margaret Thatcher, Thomas Jefferson, Karl Marx, David Ricardo, John Maynard Keynes and Milton Friedman (Adam, 2008). His words on politics, economics and social interactions have inspired neoliberal governing systems and world rules to instil a “laissez-faire” approach to their markets (Adam,