Essay On Scottish Enlightenment

Modern or sociological thinking first appeared in the mid 1600’s to mid-1700. The age of enlightenment refers to the period during which an intellectual movement spread throughout most of the western world. Previously society was dominated by religious doctrine and superstition. The feudal system and divine right to rule was largely unquestioned in society. Rene Descartes published Meditations in 1641 and introduced the "Method of Doubt" in which the concept of God was finally met with scepticism. Descartes along with other influential figures such as, John Locke, Voltaire, Thomas Hobbes, Jean Jacques Rousseau and Baron de Montesquieu paved the way for a more logical interpretation of society. This process of demystification led to the gradual …show more content…
Roy Porter has discussed the Scottish Enlightenment in these terms and in his own words, spliced ‘Scottish thinkers into the British story as a whole’. The historiography suggests many scholars and historians consider the Scottish Enlightenment to be a consequence of closer association with England and more specifically as a direct result of the Union of Crowns in 1707. Many key figures of the Enlightenment were born or were educated in Scotland, and Scotland’s contribution to the world is measured in the extent of the influence of her most famous sons. Prior to studying Glasgow history, I held the view that Glasgow, and more broadly Scotland made a significant contribution to the Enlightenment and to the modern world. The extent to which this general consensus is true or is the by-product of civic and national pride must be assessed by considering the role of key Glasgow and Scottish thinkers and the intellectual climate during the era. I will also consider Scotland’s influences prior to the Union in 1707 in order to assess the extent to which the Union was the cause of the Scottish Enlightenment or simply correlated with its