Dubbed the father of economics, Adam Smith is best known for his pioneering work An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, published in 1776. In this, Smith laid the foundations for modern free market economics, setting out a case for self-interested individualism and competition as integral to economic prosperity that remains influential today. Nevertheless, his ‘enlightened’ and progressive views did not lead him to question the existence of extreme social inequality, while his rejection of slavery was accompanied by a belief that it would be difficult and perhaps even impossible to abolish.