"First published in 1771, The Origin of the Distinction of Ranks is John Millar's examination of the nature of authority and how and why it changes. Drawing on Adam Smith's four-stages theory of history and the natural law's traditional division of domestic duties into those toward servants, children, and women, Millar provides a rich historical analysis of the ways in which progressive economic change transforms the nature of authority. In particular he argues that, with the progress of arts and manufacture, authority tends to become less violent and concentrated, and ranks tend to diversify." The Liberty Fund edition is based on the fourth, posthumous, edition of 1806, which includes a biographical sketch of Millar written by his nephew, John Craig, a respected political philosopher in his own right.