----------------- HES POSTING ----------------- I think the best place to direct the student is to Book 3 of The Wealth of Nations. This is where Smith discusses the emergence of the modern nation state from the feudal disorder in Europe. He does not address modern categories in the discussion about the nation state, but the materials for constructing an answer about his thinking on the nation state are there in Book 3. Brad Bateman Grinnell College ------------ FOOTER TO HES POSTING ------------ For information, send the message "info HES" to [log in to unmask]