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亚当·斯密（Adam Smith，1723-1790），苏格兰经济学家、哲学家。他早年主张经济自由主义，用九年时间完成《国富论》（ The Wealth of Nations ）。该书被誉为“第一部系统的伟大的经济学著作”，奠定了现代经济学的基础，他也因此被誉为“经济学之父”。
休谟与卢梭的“笔战”曾在英法启蒙界闹得沸沸扬扬。看来，文人挥毫舞墨，咬文嚼字“打嘴仗”的喜好由来已久，古今中外，概莫能外。休谟曾向密友亚当·斯密写信抱怨卢梭。而这位经济学家的回信正如其所撰作品：理性、思辨，很好地缓解了休谟和卢梭的“剑拔弩张”之势。
Paris, 6 July 1776
My dear friend,
I am thoroughly convinced that Rousseau is as great a rascal as you, and as every man here believes him to be; yet let me beg of you not to think of publishing anything to the world upon the very great impertinence which he has been guilty of to you. By refusing the pension which you had the goodness to solicit for him with his own consent, he may have thrown, by the baseness of his proceedings, some little ridicule upon you in the eyes of the Court and the Ministry. Stand this ridicule, expose his brutal letter, but without giving it out of your own hand, so that it may never be printed, and if you can, laugh at yourself, and I shall pawn my life that before three weeks are at an end, this little affair, which at present gives you so much uneasiness , shall be understood to do you as much honor as any thing that has ever happened to you. By endeavoring to unmask before the public this hypocritical pedant , you run the risk of disturbing the tranquility of your whole life. By letting him alone he cannot give you a fortnight’s uneasiness. To write against him is, you may depend upon it, the very thing he wishes you to do. He is in danger of falling into obscurity in England and he hopes to make himself considerable by provoking an illustrious adversary . He will have a great party: the church, the Whigs, the Jacobites, the whole wise English nation, who will love to mortify a Scotchman, and to applaud a man that has refused a pension from the King. It is not unlikely too that they may pay him very well for having refused it, and that even he may have had in view this compensation. Your whole friends here wish you not to write—the Baron, D’Alembert, Madame Riccaboni, Mademoiselle Riancourt, Mr. Turgot. etc. Mr. Turgot, a friend every way worthy of you, desired me to recommend this advice to you in a particular manner, as his most earnest entreaty and opinion. He and I are both afraid that you are surrounded with evil counselors, and that the advice of your English literati , who are themselves accustomed to publish all their little gossiping stories in newspapers, may have too much influence upon you. Remember me to Mr. Walpole and believe me to be with the most sincere affection ever yours
Adam Smith
我亲爱的朋友：
我现在完全相信，卢梭正像你和这里每一个人认为的那样是个大混蛋。但我恳请你不要发表文章将他对你犯下的十足无礼的行为公诸于世。你好心为他申请了经他自己同意的年金，他却又加以拒绝，通过这种卑鄙的行径，他或许会让你在宫廷和内阁大臣眼中出丑。顶住他的嘲弄，揭露他无耻的信函，但不要让信件从你手中溜走，这样才不会刊登在报纸上。同时，如果你做得到，对此事一笑了之吧，我以性命担保，不出三周你就会明白，目前这件让你如此苦恼的小事，就会像以往发生在你身上的任何事一样，给你带来莫大的荣誉。倘若你执意在众人面前揭露这个伪君子，自己的平静生活就会有被搅扰的风险。对他置之不理，他给你带来的不快只会维系两周，但写文章谴责他，虽然你以为是上上策，但其实正中他的下怀。他在英格兰正日渐式微，正想通过树立一位声名显赫的对头，从而抬高自己的身价。到那时，他会有很多拥戴者——教会、辉格党党员、詹姆士二世的拥护者以及整个英国的聪明人都会站在他那一边，他们将会乐于诋毁一个苏格兰人，并为一个拒绝国王年金的人鼓掌喝彩。同时，他们也许会因为他拒绝了这笔年金而向他支付一笔不菲的资金，这也不是不可能，他甚至或许已经料到了这笔补偿。你所有的朋友——男爵、达朗贝尔、里卡博尼夫人、里昂科特小姐、杜洛先生等人，都希望你不要为此撰文。杜洛先生，这位各方面都值得你尊敬的朋友，希望我以这种方式劝解你，作为他最诚挚的恳求和意见。他和我都担心围绕在你身边的恶意顾问，那些习惯于将自己的窃窃私语刊登在报纸上的英格兰文人，他们的建议或许对你有过度的影响。请向沃波尔先生致意，同时请相信我是永远对你怀有最真挚感情的
亚当·斯密
1776年7月6日于巴黎
休谟和卢梭是同时代的思想巨子，他们生前便已名满天下，去世后更是随着岁月的流逝而声誉日隆、影响弥巨，所以他们的争吵恩怨历来受人关注。究竟是什么使得这两位启蒙巨人由曾经的惺惺相惜到后来的公开决裂？
1766年1月，受法国当局迫害，卢梭被迫赴英国避难。由于敬重卢梭的德行和才气，英国文人休谟为困境中的卢梭提供了一系列帮助，并积极为卢梭向英王申请年金。但是，卢梭生性敏感多疑，外加“被迫害妄想症”，猜忌休谟觊觎他的才华，意欲剽窃他的思想，因此四处写信抨击休谟狼子野心，并拒绝接受那笔年金。面对强加在身上的“莫须有”罪名，休谟义愤填膺。他向来以“好人大卫”的名声为傲，爱惜声誉的他急欲证明自身清白，便四处写信为自己辩护，不顾劝阻执意撰文，并将文章在法国和英国出版，闹得满城风雨。此事引得众多名人围观及参与，使得本限于两人之间的恩怨演变成了一场震惊并席卷整个“文人共和国”的“笔战”。伏尔泰、狄德罗、霍尔巴赫、亚当·斯密等当时赫赫有名的思想家都不同程度地卷入其中。
关于这场文坛公案的真相很多都湮没在了舆论漩涡之中，从道义角度来看，孰是孰非也是见仁见智。休谟热爱交际、善于应酬，卢梭却是喜欢内省独处之人，两人的纠葛也许正是感性与理性的碰撞，所谓道不同不相为谋正是此理吧。
rascal [ˈrɑːskl]
n. 流氓，无赖
impertinence [ɪmˈpɜːtɪnəns]
n. 鲁莽，无理
solicit [səˈlɪsɪt]
v. 请求给予（援助、钱或信息）；筹集
ridicule [ˈrɪdɪkjuːl]
n. 嘲笑，奚落
pawn [pɔːn]
v. 典当，抵押
uneasiness [ʌnˈiːzɪnəs]
n. 不自在
hypocritical [ˌhɪpəˈkrɪtɪkl]
a. 虚伪的，伪善的
pedant [ˈpednt]
n. 学究；书呆子
tranquility [træŋˈkwɪləti]
n. 宁静；平静
provoke [prəˈvəʊk]
v. 挑衅；激怒；刺激
illustrious [ɪˈlʌstriəs]
a. 著名的，杰出的
adversary [ˈædvəsəri]
n. 对手
mortify [ˈmɔːtɪfaɪ]
v. 使受辱；诋毁
entreaty [ɪnˈtriːti]
n. 恳求；乞求
literati [ˌlɪtəˈrɑːti]
n. 文人学士（literatus的复数）