"The Scottish Enlightenment was the period in 18th- and early-19th-century Scotland characterized by an outpouring of intellectual and scientific accomplishments."
A distinct form of the Enlightenment characterized by its emphasis on moral philosophy, political economy, and literary culture. Some of the leading figures of the Scottish Enlightenment include David Hume, Adam Smith, and Adam Ferguson.
The Enlightenment: This movement began in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries, and emphasized reason, science, and individual rights over traditional authority.
Adam Smith: Known for his work in economics, Smith was a prominent figure of the Scottish Enlightenment. His book, The Wealth of Nations, is considered a seminal work in the field of economics.
David Hume: Hume was a philosopher and historian, also known for his skepticism and empiricist views. His contributions to philosophy include the problem of induction, the is-ought distinction, and the distinction between analytic and synthetic statements.
James Watt: Watt was a Scottish inventor who made significant improvements to the steam engine, which was instrumental in the Industrial Revolution.
Francis Hutcheson: Hutcheson was a philosopher and theologian who is known for his work on moral philosophy, particularly his belief in the importance of natural moral sentiments.
The Scottish Enlightenment and Science: The Scottish Enlightenment was notable for its advances in science, particularly in fields like botany, chemistry, and geology.
The Edinburgh Enlightenment: The city of Edinburgh played a significant role in the Scottish Enlightenment, as it was home to key figures like Hume, Smith, and Hutcheson, as well as important institutions like the Edinburgh Medical School.
The Scottish Enlightenment and the Arts: The Scottish Enlightenment was also notable for its contributions to the arts, particularly literature and music.
The Scottish Enlightenment and Politics: The Scottish Enlightenment had a profound impact on political thought, particularly in the areas of liberalism and republicanism.
The Legacy of the Scottish Enlightenment: The ideas and accomplishments of the Scottish Enlightenment continue to influence and inspire scholars and thinkers today.
Moral and political philosophy: Scholars like Francis Hutcheson, Adam Smith, David Hume, and Thomas Reid developed new theories of ethics, aesthetics, and politics, emphasizing the role of reason, sympathy, free will, and social contract, and challenging classical and religious dogmas.
Science and technology: Innovators like James Watt, Joseph Black, William Cullen, and James Hutton advanced the fields of steam power, thermodynamics, chemistry, geology, and agricultural improvement, laying the foundation for the Industrial Revolution.
Education and literacy: Figures like Andrew Bell, Joseph Lancaster, and John Knox promoted new educational methods, such as the monitorial system and the Sunday school, aimed at providing basic education to the masses, as well as promoting critical thinking and rational inquiry.
Literature and criticism: Writers like Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and James Macpherson revitalized Scottish Gaelic culture and folklore, while also adapting to the emerging trends of Romanticism, Realism, and Gothic, influencing English and European literature.
Colonialism and imperialism: Intellectuals like James Mill, David Ricardo, and Adam Ferguson theorized about the global expansion of Western empires, such as Britain, analyzing the economic, political, and social factors behind the rise and fall of empires, and also critiquing the inequities and atrocities of colonial rule.
"By the eighteenth century, Scotland had a network of parish schools in the Scottish Lowlands and five universities."
"The Select Society and, later, The Poker Club, as well as within Scotland's ancient universities..."
"...thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment asserted the importance of human reason combined with a rejection of any authority that could not be justified by reason."
"...the chief values were improvement, virtue, and practical benefit for the individual and society as a whole."
"Among the fields that rapidly advanced were philosophy, political economy, engineering, architecture, medicine, geology, archaeology, botany and zoology, law, agriculture, chemistry and sociology."
"...Joseph Black, Robert Burns, William Cullen, Adam Ferguson, David Hume, Francis Hutcheson, James Hutton, John Playfair, Thomas Reid, Adam Smith, and Dugald Stewart."
"The Scottish Enlightenment had effects far beyond Scotland... its ideas and attitudes were carried all over Great Britain and across the Western world..."
"...such intellectual gathering places in Edinburgh as The Select Society and, later, The Poker Club..."
"Sharing the humanist and rational outlook of the Western Enlightenment... the importance of human reason... improvement, virtue, and practical benefit."
"Philosophy, political economy, engineering, architecture, medicine, geology, archaeology, botany and zoology, law, agriculture, chemistry, and sociology."
"Joseph Black, Robert Burns, William Cullen, Adam Ferguson, David Hume, Francis Hutcheson, James Hutton, John Playfair, Thomas Reid, Adam Smith, and Dugald Stewart."
"Scotland had a network of parish schools in the Scottish Lowlands and five universities."
"The thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment asserted the importance of human reason combined with a rejection of any authority that could not be justified by reason."
"The chief values were improvement, virtue, and practical benefit for the individual and society as a whole."
"The Enlightenment culture was based on close readings of new books, and intense discussions which took place daily..."
"...its ideas and attitudes were carried all over Great Britain and across the Western world as part of the Scottish diaspora, and by foreign students who studied in Scotland."
"Scotland's ancient universities (St Andrews, Glasgow, Edinburgh, King's College, and Marischal College)."
"...not only because of the esteem in which Scottish achievements were held outside Scotland..."
"...its ideas and attitudes were carried... across the Western world as part of the Scottish diaspora, and by foreign students who studied in Scotland."