How did Adam Smith’s friendship with David Hume affect his intellectual life?

Adam Smith and David Hume were lifelong friends and central figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, a period of intense intellectual activity in 18th-century Scotland.12

Their relationship was characterized by mutual respect and shared intellectual interests. While the extent of Hume’s direct influence on Smith’s economic theories remains a subject of scholarly uncertainty, the two thinkers held broadly similar principles and both utilized historical evidence to support their arguments. Both men were key contributors to the intellectual climate that fostered the development of classical economics and moral philosophy during this era.32

Beyond their shared ideas, their friendship was deeply personal. Smith served as Hume’s literary executor, and upon Hume’s death, Smith wrote a moving tribute describing him as a man who approached the ideal of a perfectly wise and virtuous person. Their connection highlights the collaborative and supportive nature of the intellectual community in which they lived, where philosophers, scientists, and merchants engaged in stimulating exchanges that shaped their respective works.41