Adam Smith is one of the most influential Scots ever to have lived. He can be considered the father of the economic principle of free enterprise, one of the holy grails of modern capitalism. His best known work, The Wealth of Nations, (1776), described how the individual pursuit of self-interest leads to greater prosperity and the common good of society. He was, however, a more complex intellectual figure than his popular reputation suggests, and he shared the ethical concerns of his great friend, David Hume.