Fania Oz-salzberger
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198205197
- eISBN:
- 9780191676543
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205197.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter presents a reading of Adam Ferguson's political thoughts in Scottish contexts. It suggests that it was Ferguson's idea of human nature that led him to reject any form of government which ...
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This chapter presents a reading of Adam Ferguson's political thoughts in Scottish contexts. It suggests that it was Ferguson's idea of human nature that led him to reject any form of government which does not guarantee freedom for political participation. He believed that the freedom of a state should be measured by the number of participants in politics, decision-makers as well as public actors and civil servants. While this is less than democratic, it was pointedly republican and uncompromisingly participationist.Less
This chapter presents a reading of Adam Ferguson's political thoughts in Scottish contexts. It suggests that it was Ferguson's idea of human nature that led him to reject any form of government which does not guarantee freedom for political participation. He believed that the freedom of a state should be measured by the number of participants in politics, decision-makers as well as public actors and civil servants. While this is less than democratic, it was pointedly republican and uncompromisingly participationist.
Fania Oz-Salzberger
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198205197
- eISBN:
- 9780191676543
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205197.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This is a study of the transmission of political ideas across languages and cultures, and in particular of a notably fruitful encounter between two distinct branches of 18th-century political ...
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This is a study of the transmission of political ideas across languages and cultures, and in particular of a notably fruitful encounter between two distinct branches of 18th-century political discourse: the reception of Scottish civic ideas, developed most powerfully in the works of the Edinburgh historian-philosopher Adam Ferguson, by German intellectuals of the Enlightenment and Romantic eras. This book's detailed and challenging analysis places Ferguson in the context of the Scottish Enlightenment, and explores the impact of his theories on German Enlightenment thinkers. It traces the passage of Ferguson's civic humanism across linguistic and cultural borders, and highlights the linguistic stumbling-blocks and conceptual tensions that resulted. The book argues that there resulted a complex and largely unintentional shift of Scottish civic concepts into a German vocabulary of spiritual perfection and inner life, and that the misreading of Ferguson and other Scottish thinkers contributed much to the richness of German intellectual life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.Less
This is a study of the transmission of political ideas across languages and cultures, and in particular of a notably fruitful encounter between two distinct branches of 18th-century political discourse: the reception of Scottish civic ideas, developed most powerfully in the works of the Edinburgh historian-philosopher Adam Ferguson, by German intellectuals of the Enlightenment and Romantic eras. This book's detailed and challenging analysis places Ferguson in the context of the Scottish Enlightenment, and explores the impact of his theories on German Enlightenment thinkers. It traces the passage of Ferguson's civic humanism across linguistic and cultural borders, and highlights the linguistic stumbling-blocks and conceptual tensions that resulted. The book argues that there resulted a complex and largely unintentional shift of Scottish civic concepts into a German vocabulary of spiritual perfection and inner life, and that the misreading of Ferguson and other Scottish thinkers contributed much to the richness of German intellectual life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Fania Oz-salzberger
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198205197
- eISBN:
- 9780191676543
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205197.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter examines the reception of Adam Ferguson's works at the University of Göttingen in Germany. The Scottish works made a timely entry in Göttingen, where history was instrumental in ...
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This chapter examines the reception of Adam Ferguson's works at the University of Göttingen in Germany. The Scottish works made a timely entry in Göttingen, where history was instrumental in initiating several new intellectual projects. Some Göttingen scholars considered Ferguson to be the first to distinguish historically between state and society. This chapter argues that while Ferguson might have influenced the spread of the concept of civil society in Germany, he should not be credited with the distinction between society.Less
This chapter examines the reception of Adam Ferguson's works at the University of Göttingen in Germany. The Scottish works made a timely entry in Göttingen, where history was instrumental in initiating several new intellectual projects. Some Göttingen scholars considered Ferguson to be the first to distinguish historically between state and society. This chapter argues that while Ferguson might have influenced the spread of the concept of civil society in Germany, he should not be credited with the distinction between society.
Fania Oz-salzberger
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198205197
- eISBN:
- 9780191676543
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205197.003.0013
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter presents an account of German philosopher Friedrich Schiller as a reader of Adam Ferguson's works. It analyses Schiller's place in the context of contemporary German discourse and the ...
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This chapter presents an account of German philosopher Friedrich Schiller as a reader of Adam Ferguson's works. It analyses Schiller's place in the context of contemporary German discourse and the development of his politics. The result reveals that Schiller's reading of Ferguson was both selective and highly enthusiastic and that it followed two patterns. These are the separation of Ferguson's psychology and ethics from his politics, and the significant upgrading of his idea of human perfection at the expense of civic activism.Less
This chapter presents an account of German philosopher Friedrich Schiller as a reader of Adam Ferguson's works. It analyses Schiller's place in the context of contemporary German discourse and the development of his politics. The result reveals that Schiller's reading of Ferguson was both selective and highly enthusiastic and that it followed two patterns. These are the separation of Ferguson's psychology and ethics from his politics, and the significant upgrading of his idea of human perfection at the expense of civic activism.
Fania Oz-salzberger
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198205197
- eISBN:
- 9780191676543
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205197.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter examines Christian Garve's problems in translating Adam Ferguson's Institutes of Moral Philosophy in German. It states that Garve earned considerable fame and esteem for his translation. ...
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This chapter examines Christian Garve's problems in translating Adam Ferguson's Institutes of Moral Philosophy in German. It states that Garve earned considerable fame and esteem for his translation. However, despite being a careful translator and a sympathetic commentator, Garve substantially changed the emphases of Ferguson's corpus of ideas in Germany. The transformation of the Ferguson's text was not a wilful manipulation but was caused by the limitations of the German terminology. One of Garve's problems was the translation of the phrase public spirit.Less
This chapter examines Christian Garve's problems in translating Adam Ferguson's Institutes of Moral Philosophy in German. It states that Garve earned considerable fame and esteem for his translation. However, despite being a careful translator and a sympathetic commentator, Garve substantially changed the emphases of Ferguson's corpus of ideas in Germany. The transformation of the Ferguson's text was not a wilful manipulation but was caused by the limitations of the German terminology. One of Garve's problems was the translation of the phrase public spirit.
Fania Oz-salzberger
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198205197
- eISBN:
- 9780191676543
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205197.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter examines the civic discourse and the problems in the translation of Adam Ferguson's Essay on the History of Civil Society into German. It aims to demonstrate the extent to which the ...
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This chapter examines the civic discourse and the problems in the translation of Adam Ferguson's Essay on the History of Civil Society into German. It aims to demonstrate the extent to which the Scottish civic vocabulary was lost in the process of German translation. German translator Christian Garve acknowledged his difficulty in translating several political terms in Ferguson's work. As a result, the translation broke the links between constituent terms and some of the translated terms became entangled in existing German vocabularies which were apolitical.Less
This chapter examines the civic discourse and the problems in the translation of Adam Ferguson's Essay on the History of Civil Society into German. It aims to demonstrate the extent to which the Scottish civic vocabulary was lost in the process of German translation. German translator Christian Garve acknowledged his difficulty in translating several political terms in Ferguson's work. As a result, the translation broke the links between constituent terms and some of the translated terms became entangled in existing German vocabularies which were apolitical.
Fania Oz-salzberger
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198205197
- eISBN:
- 9780191676543
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205197.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter examines Swiss lawyer and historian Isaak Iselin's review of Christian Friedrich Junger's German translation of Adam Ferguson's Essay on the History of Civil Society. Iselin wrote his ...
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This chapter examines Swiss lawyer and historian Isaak Iselin's review of Christian Friedrich Junger's German translation of Adam Ferguson's Essay on the History of Civil Society. Iselin wrote his review in November 1768, which was a fascinating blend of small rebukes woven into framework of laudatory approbation. This chapter discusses the circumstances surrounding Iselin's review which might have influenced the contents of his article published in Allgemeine deutsche Bibliothek.Less
This chapter examines Swiss lawyer and historian Isaak Iselin's review of Christian Friedrich Junger's German translation of Adam Ferguson's Essay on the History of Civil Society. Iselin wrote his review in November 1768, which was a fascinating blend of small rebukes woven into framework of laudatory approbation. This chapter discusses the circumstances surrounding Iselin's review which might have influenced the contents of his article published in Allgemeine deutsche Bibliothek.
Craig Smith
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781474413275
- eISBN:
- 9781474460187
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474413275.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
Chapter 1 includes a biography of Adam Ferguson and examines the various critical interpretations of his thought. It concludes that each of these, stoic, civic republican, natural jurisprudence, ...
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Chapter 1 includes a biography of Adam Ferguson and examines the various critical interpretations of his thought. It concludes that each of these, stoic, civic republican, natural jurisprudence, Marxist sociological, Highlander, and conservative, are partial accounts that miss important features of his thought. The introduction makes the case for downplaying the importance of the Essay on the History of Civil Society and for moving beyond the idea of Ferguson as an outlier to the mainstream of the Scottish Enlightenment. It argues that the proper context for understanding Ferguson is to be found in his intellectual project of building a moral pedagogy upon secure empirical and philosophical foundations.Less
Chapter 1 includes a biography of Adam Ferguson and examines the various critical interpretations of his thought. It concludes that each of these, stoic, civic republican, natural jurisprudence, Marxist sociological, Highlander, and conservative, are partial accounts that miss important features of his thought. The introduction makes the case for downplaying the importance of the Essay on the History of Civil Society and for moving beyond the idea of Ferguson as an outlier to the mainstream of the Scottish Enlightenment. It argues that the proper context for understanding Ferguson is to be found in his intellectual project of building a moral pedagogy upon secure empirical and philosophical foundations.
Fania Oz-salzberger
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198205197
- eISBN:
- 9780191676543
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205197.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter examines the impact and influence of the Scottish Enlightenment on the German Aufklärung. Scottish works formed an important segment of the general influx of British books into Germany ...
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This chapter examines the impact and influence of the Scottish Enlightenment on the German Aufklärung. Scottish works formed an important segment of the general influx of British books into Germany and one of the first beneficiaries of the accelerated speed of English–German translation in the second half of the 18th century was David Hume. The reception of Scottish books peaked from the mid-1760s through the 1770s with prompt translations of Adam Ferguson's works, Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, and John Millar's Observations Concerning the Origins and Distinction of Ranks in Society.Less
This chapter examines the impact and influence of the Scottish Enlightenment on the German Aufklärung. Scottish works formed an important segment of the general influx of British books into Germany and one of the first beneficiaries of the accelerated speed of English–German translation in the second half of the 18th century was David Hume. The reception of Scottish books peaked from the mid-1760s through the 1770s with prompt translations of Adam Ferguson's works, Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, and John Millar's Observations Concerning the Origins and Distinction of Ranks in Society.
Fania Oz-salzberger
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198205197
- eISBN:
- 9780191676543
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205197.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter examines the influence of Adam Ferguson's work on the religious philosophy of German philosopher Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. It aims to determine which of Ferguson's books influenced ...
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This chapter examines the influence of Adam Ferguson's work on the religious philosophy of German philosopher Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. It aims to determine which of Ferguson's books influenced Lessing. Some critics have suggested that it was Institutes of Moral Philosophy while others believed it was Essay on the History of Civil Society. This chapter also analyses the significance of the Fergusonian fingerprints which arguably appear in Lessing's Die Erziehung des Menschengeschlechts.Less
This chapter examines the influence of Adam Ferguson's work on the religious philosophy of German philosopher Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. It aims to determine which of Ferguson's books influenced Lessing. Some critics have suggested that it was Institutes of Moral Philosophy while others believed it was Essay on the History of Civil Society. This chapter also analyses the significance of the Fergusonian fingerprints which arguably appear in Lessing's Die Erziehung des Menschengeschlechts.
Fania Oz-salzberger
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198205197
- eISBN:
- 9780191676543
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205197.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter presents an overview of the reception of the Scottish philosopher in Germany during the Enlightenment. It states that though Ferguson was not the first Scottish writer to be admired by ...
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This chapter presents an overview of the reception of the Scottish philosopher in Germany during the Enlightenment. It states that though Ferguson was not the first Scottish writer to be admired by the German Enlightenment, he was one of the most fortunate. He became a favourite reading among educated, literary-minded Germans who considered him ‘a sage of our century’. Four of his major works were translated into German including Essay on the History of Civil Society, History of the Progress and Termination of the Roman Republic, and Institutes of Moral Philosophy.Less
This chapter presents an overview of the reception of the Scottish philosopher in Germany during the Enlightenment. It states that though Ferguson was not the first Scottish writer to be admired by the German Enlightenment, he was one of the most fortunate. He became a favourite reading among educated, literary-minded Germans who considered him ‘a sage of our century’. Four of his major works were translated into German including Essay on the History of Civil Society, History of the Progress and Termination of the Roman Republic, and Institutes of Moral Philosophy.
Craig Smith
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781474413275
- eISBN:
- 9781474460187
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474413275.003.0003
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This chapter looks at Ferguson’s attempts to build a normative moral philosophy on the basis of his moral science. The relationship between universal attributes of human nature and their ...
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This chapter looks at Ferguson’s attempts to build a normative moral philosophy on the basis of his moral science. The relationship between universal attributes of human nature and their manifestation in the circumstances of particular societies leads Ferguson to attempt the creation of a clear moral vocabulary that will allow for ‘censorial inspection’ and moral decision making. Ferguson is not suggesting that we are bound by the content of current moral beliefs, but rather that these beliefs are the material that can help us clarify our thinking about moral issues. The chapter examines the key elements of Ferguson’s theory including his account of virtue, sociability, benevolence, happiness, action, and ambition. It argues that we should see Ferguson as a modern casuist, preparing a language for clear moral thinking.Less
This chapter looks at Ferguson’s attempts to build a normative moral philosophy on the basis of his moral science. The relationship between universal attributes of human nature and their manifestation in the circumstances of particular societies leads Ferguson to attempt the creation of a clear moral vocabulary that will allow for ‘censorial inspection’ and moral decision making. Ferguson is not suggesting that we are bound by the content of current moral beliefs, but rather that these beliefs are the material that can help us clarify our thinking about moral issues. The chapter examines the key elements of Ferguson’s theory including his account of virtue, sociability, benevolence, happiness, action, and ambition. It argues that we should see Ferguson as a modern casuist, preparing a language for clear moral thinking.
Craig Smith
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781474413275
- eISBN:
- 9781474460187
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474413275.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This chapter makes the case for Ferguson as a partisan for civilisation and sees him not as a critic of modern commercial society, but rather as someone deeply aware of its fragility. The benefits of ...
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This chapter makes the case for Ferguson as a partisan for civilisation and sees him not as a critic of modern commercial society, but rather as someone deeply aware of its fragility. The benefits of civilisation are wealth and freedom, and Ferguson defends both of them. The chapter argues that Ferguson’s theory of the evolution of nations and their institutions sits alongside his attempt to educate the virtuous gentlemen necessary to make the right decisions to maintain the benefits of wealthy and free societies. Ferguson’s theory of corruption is not nostalgic republicanism, but rather a clear-eyed analysis of the present situation in Hanoverian Britain.Less
This chapter makes the case for Ferguson as a partisan for civilisation and sees him not as a critic of modern commercial society, but rather as someone deeply aware of its fragility. The benefits of civilisation are wealth and freedom, and Ferguson defends both of them. The chapter argues that Ferguson’s theory of the evolution of nations and their institutions sits alongside his attempt to educate the virtuous gentlemen necessary to make the right decisions to maintain the benefits of wealthy and free societies. Ferguson’s theory of corruption is not nostalgic republicanism, but rather a clear-eyed analysis of the present situation in Hanoverian Britain.
Craig Smith
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781474413275
- eISBN:
- 9781474460187
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474413275.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
The final chapter turns to Adam Ferguson’s preoccupation with warfare and citizen militias. It argues that Ferguson saw war as a human universal and a key feature of politics. The chapter covers ...
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The final chapter turns to Adam Ferguson’s preoccupation with warfare and citizen militias. It argues that Ferguson saw war as a human universal and a key feature of politics. The chapter covers Ferguson’s account of the rise of nations and of the superiority of modern rule-governed warfare over that of the ancient world. It links this to his view that we can pass moral judgements on the ‘spirit’ of nations. Judging nations through moral science and in line with the values developed in moral philosophy helps us to understand the benefits of commercial society and the potential dangers to which it is subject.Less
The final chapter turns to Adam Ferguson’s preoccupation with warfare and citizen militias. It argues that Ferguson saw war as a human universal and a key feature of politics. The chapter covers Ferguson’s account of the rise of nations and of the superiority of modern rule-governed warfare over that of the ancient world. It links this to his view that we can pass moral judgements on the ‘spirit’ of nations. Judging nations through moral science and in line with the values developed in moral philosophy helps us to understand the benefits of commercial society and the potential dangers to which it is subject.
Fania Oz-salzberger
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198205197
- eISBN:
- 9780191676543
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205197.003.0014
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter sums up the key findings on the transmission of Scottish political ideas in Germany during the Enlightenment period. The early German reception of the works of the Scottish Enlightenment ...
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This chapter sums up the key findings on the transmission of Scottish political ideas in Germany during the Enlightenment period. The early German reception of the works of the Scottish Enlightenment was a fruitful but short-lived encounter. Adam Ferguson's work represented a juncture at which several of the Scottish appeals converged. The reading of his works revealed the political kinship of Scotland and Germany, and the decline in the reception of his works during the last three decades of the 18th century exposed some of the cracks which were becoming increasing manifest in the complex facade of the European Enlightenment.Less
This chapter sums up the key findings on the transmission of Scottish political ideas in Germany during the Enlightenment period. The early German reception of the works of the Scottish Enlightenment was a fruitful but short-lived encounter. Adam Ferguson's work represented a juncture at which several of the Scottish appeals converged. The reading of his works revealed the political kinship of Scotland and Germany, and the decline in the reception of his works during the last three decades of the 18th century exposed some of the cracks which were becoming increasing manifest in the complex facade of the European Enlightenment.
Robert Launay
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780226575254
- eISBN:
- 9780226575421
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226575421.003.0010
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Anthropology, Theory and Practice
French Enlightenment writing about savagery, centered on America and Oceania, was centrally concerned with the relationship between property and inequality, while writing about despotism in Asia ...
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French Enlightenment writing about savagery, centered on America and Oceania, was centrally concerned with the relationship between property and inequality, while writing about despotism in Asia revolved around political centralization. The two literatures did not tend to intersect until they were synthesized by British, and especially Scottish, thinkers. Adam Ferguson, following the lead of Adam Smith, identified the division of labor as the motor of an ambivalent progress, expanding the horizons of the few while limiting those of the majority, imperiling democratic institutions and personal liberties. John Millar, his younger contemporary, developed his arguments even more systematically if somewhat more optimistically. In England, Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire pitted Roman civilization as delicately poised between the savagery of the Germans and the Oriental despotism of the Persians, liberty without order as opposed to order without liberty. His account was in many ways a metaphor for the predicament of modern Europe as he understood it.Less
French Enlightenment writing about savagery, centered on America and Oceania, was centrally concerned with the relationship between property and inequality, while writing about despotism in Asia revolved around political centralization. The two literatures did not tend to intersect until they were synthesized by British, and especially Scottish, thinkers. Adam Ferguson, following the lead of Adam Smith, identified the division of labor as the motor of an ambivalent progress, expanding the horizons of the few while limiting those of the majority, imperiling democratic institutions and personal liberties. John Millar, his younger contemporary, developed his arguments even more systematically if somewhat more optimistically. In England, Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire pitted Roman civilization as delicately poised between the savagery of the Germans and the Oriental despotism of the Persians, liberty without order as opposed to order without liberty. His account was in many ways a metaphor for the predicament of modern Europe as he understood it.
Craig Smith
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781474413275
- eISBN:
- 9781474460187
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474413275.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
Adam Ferguson was a Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and a leading member of the Scottish Enlightenment. A friend of David Hume and Adam Smith, Ferguson was among the ...
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Adam Ferguson was a Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and a leading member of the Scottish Enlightenment. A friend of David Hume and Adam Smith, Ferguson was among the leading exponents of the Scottish Enlightenment’s attempts to develop a science of man and was among the first in the English speaking world to make use of the terms civilization, civil society, and political science.
This book challenges many of the prevailing assumptions about Ferguson’s thinking. It explores how Ferguson sought to create a methodology for moral science that combined empirically based social theory with normative moralising with a view to supporting the virtuous education of the British elite. The Ferguson that emerges is far from the stereotyped image of a nostalgic republican sceptical about modernity, and instead is one much closer to the mainstream Scottish Enlightenment’s defence of eighteenth century British commercial society.Less
Adam Ferguson was a Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and a leading member of the Scottish Enlightenment. A friend of David Hume and Adam Smith, Ferguson was among the leading exponents of the Scottish Enlightenment’s attempts to develop a science of man and was among the first in the English speaking world to make use of the terms civilization, civil society, and political science.
This book challenges many of the prevailing assumptions about Ferguson’s thinking. It explores how Ferguson sought to create a methodology for moral science that combined empirically based social theory with normative moralising with a view to supporting the virtuous education of the British elite. The Ferguson that emerges is far from the stereotyped image of a nostalgic republican sceptical about modernity, and instead is one much closer to the mainstream Scottish Enlightenment’s defence of eighteenth century British commercial society.
Mark Neocleous
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780748692361
- eISBN:
- 9780748697205
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748692361.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter takes up a key theme in the liberal peace thesis: that the project of liberal peace begins in the eighteenth century with the work of Adam Smith on commerce and Adam Ferguson on civil ...
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This chapter takes up a key theme in the liberal peace thesis: that the project of liberal peace begins in the eighteenth century with the work of Adam Smith on commerce and Adam Ferguson on civil society. The chapter shows that far from being committed to ‘peace’, eighteenth century liberalism was concerned that peace would lead to men losing their military prowess and thus becoming effeminate. At the heart of eighteenth century liberalism is a crux of ideas concerning the necessity for war and masculine process. These ideas also underpin eighteenth century police science. The chapter makes this case by building on feminist work concerning masculinity and militarism, and also connects the debates in the eighteenth century with the same debates taking place in the war on terror.Less
This chapter takes up a key theme in the liberal peace thesis: that the project of liberal peace begins in the eighteenth century with the work of Adam Smith on commerce and Adam Ferguson on civil society. The chapter shows that far from being committed to ‘peace’, eighteenth century liberalism was concerned that peace would lead to men losing their military prowess and thus becoming effeminate. At the heart of eighteenth century liberalism is a crux of ideas concerning the necessity for war and masculine process. These ideas also underpin eighteenth century police science. The chapter makes this case by building on feminist work concerning masculinity and militarism, and also connects the debates in the eighteenth century with the same debates taking place in the war on terror.
Craig Smith
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781474413275
- eISBN:
- 9781474460187
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474413275.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This chapter outlines Ferguson’s commitment to an empirical, observation based, form of moral science. It begins by looking at Ferguson’s critique of the philosophical vices of existing schools of ...
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This chapter outlines Ferguson’s commitment to an empirical, observation based, form of moral science. It begins by looking at Ferguson’s critique of the philosophical vices of existing schools of thought. Ferguson criticises these as being excessively abstract, imprecise in the use of language and overly complex, or subtle, in their arguments. The chapter argues that Ferguson sought to create a practical philosophy for use in the real world and was in the mainstream of the Scottish Enlightenment’s attempts to use history as data for social theory. The chapter then discusses the various underlying universals of human nature and social life that form the basis of Ferguson’s moral science. A central claim is that Ferguson believed it to be a fact that all humans are censorial creatures who pass judgement on each other leading to the claim that morality is a human universal even while humans disagree on its content.Less
This chapter outlines Ferguson’s commitment to an empirical, observation based, form of moral science. It begins by looking at Ferguson’s critique of the philosophical vices of existing schools of thought. Ferguson criticises these as being excessively abstract, imprecise in the use of language and overly complex, or subtle, in their arguments. The chapter argues that Ferguson sought to create a practical philosophy for use in the real world and was in the mainstream of the Scottish Enlightenment’s attempts to use history as data for social theory. The chapter then discusses the various underlying universals of human nature and social life that form the basis of Ferguson’s moral science. A central claim is that Ferguson believed it to be a fact that all humans are censorial creatures who pass judgement on each other leading to the claim that morality is a human universal even while humans disagree on its content.
Tim Fulford
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199273379
- eISBN:
- 9780191706332
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199273379.003.0002
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century Literature and Romanticism
This chapter considers the accounts of Indians made by white historians and theorists, such as Rousseau, Adam Smith, and Adam Ferguson in the 18th century.
This chapter considers the accounts of Indians made by white historians and theorists, such as Rousseau, Adam Smith, and Adam Ferguson in the 18th century.
