Adam Smith was a Scottish economist born in 1723. He is known as the father of modern economics and capitalism. After being educated at Oxford and Glasgow universities, Smith worked as a professor of logic and moral philosophy. His major works included The Theory of Moral Sentiments in 1759 and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations in 1776, which argued that free markets and division of labor were more effective than regulations. Smith believed that when each person pursued their own self-interest, it benefited society through an "invisible hand." His ideas influenced economic policies and theories of capitalism.