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Secondary sourceDocument1891

The Progress of Economic Doctrine in England in the Eighteenth Century

1891

A 19th-century Economic Journal article naming Adam Smith as the founder of modern political economy.

A later academic article crediting Smith as the founder of modern political economy within English economic history.

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What it is

This is an article published in the Economic Journal in 1891 that traces the progress of economic thought in eighteenth-century England, identifying Adam Smith as the founder of modern political economy.

Why it matters

This source shows how Smith was viewed by economists a century after his death: as a towering figure who completely reshaped the field, compared to how Copernicus reshaped astronomy and Kant reshaped philosophy. The article also notes that earlier writers had anticipated some of Smith's ideas, raising questions about what exactly made his contribution unique.

Look closer

  • Why does the author compare Smith to Copernicus and Kant?
  • What does it mean that earlier writers

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Adam Smith on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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