# The Philosopher

## Definition

A person whose occupation is observation and speculation rather than direct
production — "men of speculation, whose trade it is not to do any thing, but
to observe every thing." Smith treats the philosopher as an economic actor
whose specialised function is combining knowledge from diverse fields to
produce innovations and improvements, analogous to how the workman improves
their own narrow task.

## Source Chapter

Book I, Chapter 1: "Of the Division of Labour"

## Context

Introduced near the end of Smith's discussion of the third mechanism (invention
of machinery). Smith notes that as society progresses, philosophy itself becomes
a specialised trade, subdivided into branches, with each philosopher becoming
expert in their field — the division of labour applied to intellectual work.

## Economic Domain

General Theory

## Smith's Original Wording

"In the progress of society, philosophy or speculation becomes, like every other
employment, the principal or sole trade and occupation of a particular class of
citizens."
