Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations was recognized as a landmark of human thought upon its publication in 1776. As the first scientific argument for the principles of political economy, it is the point of departure for all subsequent economic thought. Smith's theories of capital accumulation, growth, and secular change, among others, continue to be influential in modern economics.亚当·斯密的《国富论》在1776年出版时被认为是人类思想的里程碑，作为政治经济学原理的第一个科学论据，它是后来所有经济思想的出发点。史密斯的资本积累、增长和长期变化等理论在现代经济学中仍有影响。