The text reconstructs Smith's concept of political obligation, based on a critical review of three of his main works: Theory of Moral Sentiments, Lessons on Jurisprudence and The Wealth of Nations. Although it is not a central concept in his theory, the author's proposal, in continuity with Hume's, presents an alternative reading to the dominant readings based on consent. Although this questioning has critical potential, the Scotsman's attachment to inherited hierarchies as guarantors of social order will have conservative effects that subsequent historical events will refute.