The Enlightenment can be seen as a revolution in thinking that begun in the seventeenth century that emphasized reason and science over the authority of traditional religion. Adam Smith was a Scottish economist, philosopher and author as well as a moral philosopher. In his book The Wealth of Nations (1776) he defined the working of market economies and supported principles of liberty. His ideas fit in the ideas of the enlightenment because of his profoundly original contributions to moral philosophy and natural jurisprudence. His work contributed to the development of modern economics and moral philosophy.