Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Where Adam Smith Did Not Go to University

Jackie Kemp, in The Guardian, writes “Competition for places at Scottish universities will be fierce in 2012” (HERE):

Adam Smith, Charles Darwin, a couple of signatories of the American Declaration of Independence and Gordon Brown all graduated from Scotland's premier university – Edinburgh. A degree from the ancient institution – recently ranked 20th in the QS world rankings, above Berkeley, California, and the London School of Economics – is the gold standard of Scottish education. But some fear that next year the creme de la creme of Scottish schools could miss out on places, turned away in favour of students prepared to pay English gold.”

Comment
Among the many fine attributes of Edinburgh University, having Adam Smith as a graduate - or even as a student - was not one of them.

Adam Smith did not graduate from Edinburgh University.

Adam Smith attended Glasgow University from 1737 to 1740. He won a Snell Exhibition to Balliol College, Oxford from 1740 to 1746. His LL.D was awarded by Glasgow University in 1763.

Adam Smith gave a series of pubic lectures on Rhetoric in Edinburgh town - not the university - from 1748-51, sponsored by Lord Kames and from his paying audience, including some divinity and law students, he earned £100 a year (according to David Hume, who did attend Edinburgh University in 1723).

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