Reading Adam Smith through a Montesquieuian Lens: Climate, Population, and Progress

The role of the environment in Adam Smith’s thought remains a neglected area of study. By reading Smith through a Montesquieuian lens, new light can be shed on previously overlooked themes. This paper examines how Smith thought climate impacted the development of nations and asks why he thought some nations were more developed than others. I argue that the environmental conditions of a territory principally decided its potential for Smith, while the realisation of this potential depended on cultural norms and policy. Smith is shown to be deeply interested in the interaction of environmental and non-environmental factors in his account of the development of different nations. Re-assessing the important role of climate in Smith’s thinking not only brings him closer to Montesquieu than might be expected, but it also helps us reflect on contemporary debates on unlimited growth.