Smlthian undertakers: son of poor man, prudent man and, projecto

This article deals with theory of entrepreneurship in Adam Smith's economic thought. Although Smith didn't distinguish the capitalist and the merchant, and didn't precise the entrepreneurial function, one finds however in his writings, characters who carry on the activity of contractor: prudent man, projector and man of common prudence. One then presents these three figures starting from the portraits carried out by Smith in Theory of Moral Sentiments. The singularity of the analysis is that Smith built not deshumanized figures, like generally in the classical theory. Undertakers are characters, identified by a whole complex passions. This characteristic results in stressing the determinants of the entrepreneurial action, rather than on the function itself.