Smithian contexts: transition, progress and conflict

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to provide the reader with a brief historical and historiographical summary of the main features of the cultural, political and social contexts in which Adam Smith develops his thought on human nature. There are two hypotheses to be demonstrated: 1) The need to talk about plural contexts rather than a single context in reference to the Scottish Eighteenth Century; 2) The fact that these contexts are characterized by three main elements: transition, progress and conflict.