The Infidel and the Professor: David Hume, Adam Smith, and the Friendship That Shaped Modern Thought

This is a valuable addition to the literature of the Scottish Enlightenment and will appeal more to the curious general reader than the professional in the field. Rasmussen comprehensively covers the social and technical aspects of the many links between "le bon David" and "the Adam and the smith" of economics as well as providing a good account of the intellectual climate of "the hotbed of genius" that was evident in the Scotland of that time.

Rasmussen underlines the importance of Hume and Smith's huge contributions to the political economy and philosophy in the warp and weave of the Scottish Enlightenment. There were few hard and fast lines of demarcation between these subjects and both men made path breaking contributions to both subjects. That they were friends is true although I sense that Rasmussen tries just a bit too hard to plead the case that this friendship was crucial in each other's intellectual development. He provides clear accounts of the content of the works of these titans and shows where they overlap and differ. The reader will come away well informed and will be grateful for the authors easy manner in communicating what are sometimes complex matters. Rasmussen reminds us that Hume shows that not all philosophers are dull dogs and suggests that Adam Smith, whose work is nuanced, would not be pleased to have been hi-jacked by ultra-marketeers.