Philosophy of the Scottish Enlightenment (10 credit points)

1. Origins of the Scottish Enlightenment.

The notion of ‘modernity’; Scotland in the period before the Enlightenment; the University of Edinburgh in the early eighteenth century. Readings: Maclaurin, C., 1750. An Account of Sir Isaac Newton’s Philosophical Discoveries (extract in Broadie 1997), Minutes of Edinburgh Town Council (in Rendall 1978).

2. Hume and the Science of Man.

The importance of ‘improvement’; Hume’s approach to philosophy; the application of Newtonian scientific method to the study of humanity. Reading: Hume, D., 1748. An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (extract in Broadie 1997).

3. Hume’s Theory of Perception.

Section 2 of Hume’s An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. Reading: Hume, D., 1748. An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (extract in Broadie 1997).

4. Reid and Common Sense.

The Common Sense rejection of Hume’s theory of perception, and its motivation. Reading: Reid, T., 1764. An Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense (extract in Broadie 1997)

5. Kames and the Existence of God.

The importance of religion in the period of the Enlightenment; Hume’s position on arguments for the existence of God; Kames’ rebuttal of Hume in his Essays on the Principles of Morality and Natural Religion. Reading: Home, H., 1751. Essays on the Principles of Morality and Natural Religion (extract in Broadie 1997).

6. Hume on Suicide.

Hume’s notion of philosophy as an ‘antidote’ to ‘false religion’, as presented in his essay ‘On Suicide’. Reading: Hume, D., 1778. ‘On Suicide’ (extract in Broadie 1997).

7. Smith’s Moral Sentiments.

Enlightenment ethical thinking; the relationship between theories of mind and moral theories; Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Reading: Smith, A., 1759. The Theory of Moral Sentiments (extract in Broadie 1997).

8. Social Theory in the Eighteenth Century.

Social Theory as a new concern of intellectuals; the relationship between history and social structure; the ‘Stages’ theory in Smith’s writings. Reading: Smith, A., 1776. An Enquiry Concerning the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (extract in Broadie 1997).

9. Dugald Stewart and the Nineteenth Century Curriculum.

Stewart’s Common Sense position; the cultivation of social virtue; the philosophical case for a generalist curriculum. Reading: Stewart, D., Elements of the Philosophy of the Human Mind (extract in Broadie 1997).

10. The Legacy of the Scottish Enlightenment.

The influence of Scottish Enlightenment thought on American philosophy, politics, and education; the later influence of Kant on Scottish philosophy, and the 20th century revival of interest in Hume. Reading: No specific extract for this week.

By the end of the course the student should be able to:

• Identify key themes in Scottish Enlightenment philosophy;

• Read primary texts and subject those texts to appropriate philosophical scrutiny;

• Locate the various texts studied in the wider context of the Scottish Enlightenment, and of philosophy generally.

Extracts from primary sources will be made available online, also contained in:

• Broadie, A., 1997. The Scottish Enlightenment – An Anthology. Edinburgh: Canongate.

• Rendall, J., 1978. The Origins of the Scottish Enlightenment. London: Macmillan.

Recommended:

• Broadie, A., 2001. The Scottish Enlightenment. Edinburgh: Birlinn.

• Broadie, A. (ed), 2003. The Cambridge Companion to the Scottish Enlightenment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.