Thestoryofthegreatestofallphilosophicalfriendships--andhowitinfluencedmodernthoughtDavidHumeisarguablythemostimportantphilosopherevertohavewritteninEnglish,butduringhislifetimehewasattackedas“theGreatInfidel“forhisreligiousskepticismanddeemedunfittoteachtheyoung.Incontrast,AdamSmith,nowhailedasthefoundingfatherofcapitalism,wasareveredprofessorofmoralphilosophy.Remarkably,HumeandSmithwerebestfriends,sharingwhatDennisRasmussencallsthegreatestofallphilosophicalfriendships.TheInfidelandtheProfessortellsthefascinatingstoryofthecloserelationshipbetweenthesetoweringEnlightenmentthinkers--andhowitinfluencedtheirworld-changingideas.ItshowsthatHumecontributedmoretoeconomics--andSmithcontributedmoretophilosophy--thanisgenerallyrecognized.Theresultisacompellingaccountofagreatfriendshipthathadgreatconsequencesformodernthought.
