Adam Ferguson and the Idea of Civil Society: Moral Science in the Scottish Enlightenment

Craig Smith

Adam Ferguson and the Idea of Civil Society: Moral Science in the Scottish Enlightenment
Format
Paperback
Publisher
Edinburgh University Press
Country
United Kingdom
Published
31 August 2020
Pages
264
ISBN
9781474474535

Adam Ferguson and the Idea of Civil Society: Moral Science in the Scottish Enlightenment

Craig Smith

Adam Ferguson, a friend of David Hume and Adam Smith, was among the leading Scottish Enlightenment figures who worked to develop a science of man. He created a methodology for moral science that combined empirically based social theory with normative moralising. He was among the first in the English-speaking world to make use of the terms civilization, civil society and political science.

Craig Smith explores Ferguson’s thought, and examines his attempt to develop a genuine moral science and its place in providing a secure basis for the virtuous education of the new elite of Hanoverian Britain. The Ferguson that emerges is far from the stereotyped image of a republican sceptical about commercial society and much closer to the mainstream of the Scottish Enlightenment and its defence of the new British commercial order.

This item is not currently in-stock. It can be ordered online and is expected to ship in approx 4 weeks

Our stock data is updated periodically, and availability may change throughout the day for in-demand items. Please call the relevant shop for the most current stock information. Prices are subject to change without notice.

Sign in or become a Readings Member to add this title to a wishlist.