The Artificial Spectator - by Brendan McCord

In 1788, Adam Smith moved into Panmure House in Edinburgh to answer his last great question: what should endure of his life’s work? He spent his final twelve years in the dwelling, a modest home located in the belly of Edinburgh’s Canongate district. There he completed the definitive editions of his masterworks, The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations. By then, the young moral philosopher who had lectured in Glasgow had become an elder statesman of the Enlightenment. He was part economist, part public official, and part salon host for Edinburgh’s great and good. Amid this vibrant intellectual life at Panmure, Smith became the curator of his own legacy. He carefully chose which works would represent his life’s thought, discarding some manuscripts while perfecting others. Entire projects may never have seen the light of day, but what he kept became the definitive expression of his ideas for posterity. Today, we are reckoning with our own posterity. On the eve of technolo

In 1788, Adam Smith moved into Panmure House in Edinburgh to answer his last great question: what should endure of his life’s work? He spent his final twelve years in the dwelling, a modest home located in the belly of Edinburgh’s Canongate district. There he completed the definitive editions of his masterworks, The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations. By then, the young moral philosopher who had lectured in Glasgow had become an elder statesman of the Enlightenment. He was part economist, part public official, and part salon host for Edinburgh’s great and good. Amid this vibr