The Scottish Enlightenment

Drs. David Cross & Nowell Donovan

This webpage gives an historical overview for the Scottish Enlightenment, which corresponds roughly to the 18th century. The Scottish Enlightenment was one facet of a European and North American 18t-century phenonemon, the Enlightenment, which shone especially bright in France, Scotland, Germany, and the American colonies. There are several overarching themes to Scottish history for this period, including the following:

• The Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1745, which are the swan song of the Stuart (Catholic) dynasty in a Protestant nation.
• Coming to terms with the Union of Parlilaments (1707), ironing out the inevitable kinks in the economic and political system of Great Britain.
• The stirrings of the Industrial Revolution, of which Scotland in particular played so great a part.
• The tremendous flowering of learning and literature that we now call the Enlightenment, of which Scotland played a part disproportionately large relative to her size and political significance.
• The social and political significance of the two great revolutions of the 18th century, the American Revolution and the French Revolution.

At this point in time we do not have a chronology for the Enlightenment, but included in your TCU-in-Scotland binders is a copy of John Breyer's 18th Century Timeline, showing the significant intellectual and political events of the century, and highlighting the lives of the prominent figures of the Scottish Enlightenment. These events provide the background not only for William Robertson, but for all of the Northern Lights covered in our course on the creative genius of the Scottish Enlightenment. If you are interested in learning more about the Enlightenment in general, or the Scottish Enlightenment in particular, the following are the best places to start:

• Daiches, D., Jones, P., & Jones, J. (1996). The Scottish Enlightenment, 1730–1790: A Hotbed of Genius. The University of Edinburgh and The Saltire Society.
• Flynn, P. (1992). Enlightened Scotland: A Study and Selection of Scottish Philosophical Prose from the Eighteenth– and Early Nineteenth Centuries. Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press.
• Gay, P. (1966). The Enlightenment: An Interpretation — The Rise of Modern Paganism. New York: W. W. Norton & Co.
• Gay, P. (1969). The Enlightenment: An Interpretation — The Science of Freedom. New York: W. W. Norton & Co.
• Jones, P. (Ed.). (1988). Philosophy and Science in the Scottish Enlightenment. Edinburgh: John McDonald Publishers, Ltd.

You should also find the following websites useful introductions to the Scottish Enlightenment:

Paul Brians: The Enlightenment

Gerhard Rempel: Age of Enlightenment

Garth Kemerling: The Continental Enlightenment

NM's Creative Impulse: The Age of Enlightenment

History of Economic Thought Website: The Scottish Enlightenment

The History Guide: Enlightenment Resources

Enlightenment Web Sites

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