Author Archives: F. E. Guerra-Pujol

Enigma #1: Why did Adam Smith become a Commissioner of Scottish Customs in 1778? Following up on my recent series on “Walter Bagehot and Adam Smith”, I have decided to write up a new series of blog posts devoted to … Continue reading →

Mine are onions, tomatoes, and jalapeño peppers, along with cilantro and fresh-squeezed limes, the key ingredients in “pico de gallo” or salsa fresca.

Is the prosecution’s case against Mr Trump plausible or preposterous? See also here and here. Or put another way, is the Manhattan District Attorney upholding or destabilizing the rule of law by going after the former president at this time? … Continue reading →

“He is not here; he has risen!” —Luke 24:6-7

Although Walter Bagehot’s 1876 Adam Smith essay (see here) is succinct by scholarly standards (just 25 pages), it deserves to be included in the pantheon of Adam Smith biographies not just for its content but also for its literary style. … Continue reading →

My previous post describes Adam Smith’s “lost years” as a customs officer, while my next post will wrap up my review of Walter Bagehot’s beautiful and erudite essay “Adam Smith as a Person”; in the meantime, below are links to … Continue reading →

(Walter Bagehot and Adam Smith, part 9) Thus far, I have reviewed the first 20 pages (pp. 18-38 or paragraphs 1-31) of Walter Bagehot’s beautiful essay “Adam Smith as a Person” (available here, by the way). Today, I will review … Continue reading →

(Walter Bagehot and Adam Smith, part 8) Picking up right where we left off, when Adam Smith finally returned home to his beloved mother in 1766, after three years overseas as a future duke’s chaperone and tutor, the Scottish philosopher … Continue reading →

(Walter Bagehot and Adam Smith, part 7) When did Adam Smith decide to write a treatise on political economy, and more importantly, what motivated him to write such a book? According to Walter Bagehot, Smith’s three-year residency overseas was the … Continue reading →