Dennis Rasmussen on David Hume and Adam Smith, Episode 18

Guest: Dennis Rasmussen Hosted and produced by Reinhard Schumacher In this episode, Dennis Rasmussen talks with Reinhard about David Hume and Adam Smith. The episode focuses on Dennis’s book The Infidel and the Professor: David Hume, Adam Smith, and the Friendship that Shaped Modern Thought. We discuss the Scottish Enlightenment, Hume’s and Smith’s lives, their mutual influence, and friendship in science. Additionally, Dennis talks about Adam Smith and economic inequality, as well as writing for a broader academic audience and for the general public. Dennis is a professor of Political Science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. His research is mostly in the history of political thought. Books and articles by Dennis Rasmussen mentioned in this episode: The Infidel and the Professor: David Hume, Adam Smith, and the Friendship that Shaped Modern Thought Adam Smith and the Death of David Hume The Letter to Strahan and Related Texts The Problems and Promise of Commercial Society Adam Smith’s Response to Rousseau Adam Smith on What Is Wrong with Economic Inequality, American Political Science Review The Problem With Inequality, According to Adam Smith, The Atlantic Does “Bettering Our Condition” Really Make Us Better Off? Adam Smith on Progress and Happiness, American Political Science Review