Scottish Enlightenment

scottish enlightenment

The Two Adams of the Scottish Enlightenment and Political Economy

March 30, 2022

Adam Ferguson’s approval of Adam Smith's work was not unconditional.
Ferguson once wrote to Smith: ‘You have provoked, it is true, the church, the universities, and the merchants, against all of whom I am willing to take your part; but you have likewise provoked the militia, and there I must be against you.’"

The Two Adams of the Scottish Enlightenment and Political Economy, Part 2

June 8, 2022

While Adam Ferguson was broadly sympathetic with Adam Smith's ideas regarding political economy (with notable exceptions), in contrast, Ferguson was rather harsh on Smith (and David Hume's) moral philosophy. Thinking about the sympathetic as well as hostile reception of Smith's ideas can help us make better sense of a range of thinkers and the variety of beliefs in the Scottish Enlightenment period.

A Hotbed of Genius: An Introduction to the Scottish Enlightenment

January 2, 2019

A Short History of Scotland Before the Scottish Enlightenment

March 18, 2020

The Scottish Intellectual Tradition Before the Enlightenment

September 4, 2019

A Timeline of the Scottish Enlightenment

This timeline shows some of the principal figures of the Scottish Enlightenment and their works, via Online Library of Liberty

A Modern Scientist Considers Smith’s History of Astronomy

January 22, 2020

Main Figures of the Scottish Enlightenment

The 18th century Enlightenment was a European, even a trans-Atlantic phenomenon. Two of its main centres of intellectual activity were France and Scotland. Explore our collection of biographies of these figures and their contemporaries.

Adam Smith, Scientist and Evolutionist: Part 1

February 20, 2019

Adam Smith, Scientist and Evolutionist: Part 2

March 6, 2019

Adam Smith, Scientist and Evolutionist: Part 3

March 20, 2019