David Hume is widely regarded as the most important philosopher ever to write in English, but during his lifetime he was attacked as “the Great Infidel” for his skeptical religious views and deemed unfit to teach the young. In contrast, Adam Smith was a revered professor of moral philosophy, and is now often hailed as the founding father of capitalism. Remarkably, the two were best friends for most of their adult lives, sharing what was arguably the greatest of all philosophical friendships. Dennis Ramussen’s The Infidel and the Professor is the first book to tell the fascinating story of the friendship of these towering Enlightenment thinkers and how it influenced their world changing ideas.
Dennis Rasmussen is Professor and Chair of Political Science at Tufts University. He teaches courses in the history of political philosophy, contemporary political theory, and American political thought. His research interests center on the Enlightenment and on the virtues and shortcomings of liberal democracy and market capitalism.
The public lecture will take place in the Armouries Building Performance Hall room 132 (37 University Avenue East in downtown Windsor). Light refreshments will be served.