The history of economic thought deals with different thinkers and theories in the field of political economy and economics from the ancient world right up to the present day. Although the British philosopher Adam Smith is generally considered the father of economics, his ideas built upon a considerable body of work from predecessors in the eighteenth century. They in turn were grappling with wisdom received from centuries before and attempting to apply it to a modern setting. Economics was not considered a separate discipline until the nineteenth century.