Adam Smith on Ethics and Religion

The thought of Adam Smith (1723–90) can be positioned within the ‘Moderate’ culture that dominated Scottish intellectual life in the mideighteenth century. By viewing his Theory of Moral Sentiments against the background of Francis Hutcheson’s earlier moral philosophy, we can discern both continuity and change. Smith emerges as a more thoroughgoing naturalist in both his interests and convictions. Although he writes positively of religion in places, it is difficult to determine his own views. In surveying the evidence, this essay inclines towards a minimalist account of Smith’s religious commitments which probably belong at the more sceptical end of the deist spectrum. It concludes by seeking to expose several myths concerning Smith’s outlook – these can be dispelled by attention to the intellectual background and general consistency of his two major works.