The Infidel and the Professor

Rasmussen has written an excellent book which offers a clear account of the ideas of Smith and Hume, and celebrates the importance of philosophical friendship. --Robin Downie, Philosophy One of Project Syndicate's Best Reads in 2017 (chosen by Kaushik Basu) Selected for Bloomberg View's Must-Reads of 2017: From Space to Chinese Noir One of The Guardian's Best Books of 2017 One of The Australian Review's 2017 Books of the Year The Infidel and the Professor, [Rasmussen's] account of a 'friendship that changed modern thought', is a charming work. Our politicians would benefit from reading it and so, frankly, would you. --Alex Massie, The Times This is a well-written and well-researched history. It rewards a careful reading. . . . I recommend this book highly. --John Mullen, Metapsychology Selected for Bloomberg View's Must-Reads of 2017: From Space to Chinese Noir One of The Guardian's Best Books of 2017 One of The Australian Review's 2017 Books of the Year One of The Guardian's Best Books of 2017 One of The Australian Review's 2017 Books of the Year A wonderfully written book about a beautiful friendship. --Tyler Cowen, Bloomberg View (Best Books of 2017) The Infidel and the Professor shone a deserved spotlight on David Hume and Adam Smith. --Julian Baggini, The Guardian Dennis Rasmussen . . . tells the story of Smith and Hume's bond, arguing convincingly and engagingly that there is 'no higher example of a philosophical friendship in the entire Western tradition.' --Ruth Scurr, Wall Street Journal The best authoritative scholarly book on David Hume and Adam Smith published in the last 5 years. It is destined to be the classic book of those times. --Gavin Kennedy, Adam Smith's Lost Legacy In addition to painting a vivid portrait of the intellectual life of 18th-century Scotland, Professor Rasmussen provides a road map of the development of Smith's ideas based on his personal history and the broader political, social, theological and academic environments. [His] greatest contribution, however, is to shed new light on the surprising depth and nature of the intellectual and personal influence of the radical skeptic philosopher David Hume on Smith. Touching and illuminating. --Jonathan A. Knee, New York Times This is a chatty account of the friendship between David Hume and the 12-years younger Adam Smith, discussing the extent to which Smith's thought was influenced by Hume (a lot, Rasmussen argues) and analysing the differences between them (he identifies four areas of disagreement: the nature of sympathy, the role of utility, the foundation of justice, and the effects of religion). As a total Hume fan, I enjoyed reading it, and it's a well-written book. You don't need to be an expert on either to enjoy it, and get some flavour of the milieu of the Scottish Enlightenment. --Enlightened Economist What his book does offer . . . is a clearer, more exhaustive picture of the common ground that existed between the two thinkers, a map of the intersections, echoes and mirroring perspectives that connect their works. The Infidel and the Professor is written in a style that makes it accessible to non-specialists, who can discover through it the story of two exceptional and very engaging personalities. But it is also of interest for those who are already familiar with Hume's and Smith's lives and works, as it allows us to see them as part of a collective intellectual project. Above all, it reminds us of what the social sciences were originally meant to be: a broad critical reflection on the condition of human beings exposed to the bewildering transformations that modernity brought to their lives. --Biancamaria Fontana, Times Higher Education A beautifully written book, with wonderful balance, about a beautiful friendship. Recommended. --Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution The Infidel and the Professor is a lean, easy to digest read that is rich in interesting detail. It is anchored in weighty scholarship but not burdened by excessive demonstrations of it. . . . [Rasmussen] makes the distinctive qualities of each more evident. Pick up his book and you might find yourself agreeing with Hume that 'reading and sauntering and lownging and dozing, which I call thinking, is my supreme Happiness'. --Julian Baggini, Literary Review [Rasmussen] deftly examines not only Hume and Smith's personal relationship, but also the indispensable part that they played in shaping the Scottish Enlightenment. The result is a valuable study of the rise of the liberal tradition. --Jacob Heilbrunn, National Interest In The Infidel and the Professor: David Hume, Adam Smith, and the Friendship that Shaped Modern Thought, Dennis Rasmussen . . . tells the story of their friendship well. Fourteen nicely-judged chapters take the reader through the overlapping lives of the two men, including such incidents as Hume's notorious falling-out with Rousseau, through to the natural climax of their friendship at Hume's death, and Smith's own demise 14 years later. . . . A short and lively book that sustains the interest not merely of the general reader but the specialist to the end. That is a considerable achievement. --Jesse Norman, Prospect Masterly. . . . Easy to digest and smart. Recommended. --Mark Spencer, Library Journal Lively and accessible--of broad interest to readers in philosophy, economics, political science, and other disciplines. --Kirkus