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Scottish Enlightenment facts for kids

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The Scottish Enlightenment was an amazing time in Scotland during the 1700s and early 1800s. It was a period when Scottish thinkers made huge breakthroughs in science, ideas, and learning. By the 1700s, Scotland already had many schools and five universities. People loved to read new books and have deep discussions every day in places like The Select Society and The Poker Club in Edinburgh, as well as in their old universities.

David Hume and Adam Smith statues, Edinburgh
Statues of David Hume and Adam Smith at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery

Just like the wider Age of Enlightenment happening in the Western world, Scottish thinkers believed strongly in human reason. They questioned any ideas that couldn't be proven by logic. In Scotland, this period was all about being practical and improving things. They focused on making individuals and society better.

Many fields grew rapidly, including philosophy, economics, engineering, medicine, and science. Some famous Scottish thinkers and scientists from this time were Joseph Black, Robert Burns, David Hume, Adam Smith, and James Hutton.

The ideas from the Scottish Enlightenment spread far beyond Scotland. People around the world admired Scottish achievements. These new ideas and ways of thinking traveled across Great Britain and the Western world, thanks to Scottish people moving abroad and foreign students who came to study in Scotland.

Why Scotland Shined

When Scotland joined with England in 1707, the Scottish Parliament ended. Many politicians and important people moved to London. However, Scottish law stayed separate, so courts, lawyers, and judges remained in Edinburgh. The main leaders of the Church of Scotland also stayed, along with the universities and medical centers. These lawyers, church leaders, professors, scientists, and architects formed a new important group in Scotland's cities. They helped make the Scottish Enlightenment happen.

Growing Economy

In 1707, England had about five times more people than Scotland and was much richer. But Scotland had five universities (St. Andrews, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen's King's College and Marischal College), while England only had two. Scotland then started to grow its economy, helping to close this gap.

Connecting with England led to efforts to improve farming among the rich landowners. While some landowners helped their workers, new fences around land meant many lost their jobs and had to move to towns or other countries. A big change in trade was the fast growth of markets in the Americas. Glasgow especially benefited from this. It first sent manufactured goods to the colonies and then became a major center for the tobacco trade, selling it to places like France. The wealthy merchants who dealt in tobacco became known as "tobacco lords."

Banking also grew. The Bank of Scotland was founded in 1695, and the Royal Bank of Scotland was started in 1727. Local banks also opened in towns like Glasgow. These banks provided money for businesses and helped improve roads and trade.

Excellent Education System

Scotland had a strong focus on education. A law in 1496 said that all sons of important landowners should go to grammar schools. Later, in the 16th century, Protestants pushed for a network of parish schools. By the late 1600s, most of the Lowlands had these schools. This led to a belief that many smart Scottish boys could rise up through education. While historians now debate how widespread literacy truly was, many Scottish students learned to organize and remember information very well.

By the 1600s, Scotland had five universities, compared to England's two. After some difficult times, these universities recovered. They offered a high-quality education in subjects like economics and science to the sons of noble and wealthy families. New professors of mathematics were hired. Observatories were built at St. Andrews and Aberdeen. Robert Sibbald became the first Professor of Medicine at Edinburgh and helped start the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in 1681. These changes made Scottish universities top places for medical education and new ideas.

By the 1700s, it was easier to get into Scottish universities than in England, Germany, or France. It cost less, and students came from more different social backgrounds. This system helped Scotland gain many intellectual benefits.

A Lively World of Ideas

In France, new ideas were discussed in special meeting places called salons. These ideas were collected in a huge book called the Encyclopédie. In Scotland, people loved books. Edinburgh had many printing houses and paper mills, showing how much reading and writing was happening.

Intellectual life in Scotland revolved around clubs. In Edinburgh, clubs like the Easy Club started in the 1710s. Glasgow got its first clubs in the 1740s, including the Political Economy Club, which connected professors and merchants. Adam Smith was an early member. Other famous Edinburgh clubs included The Select Society, started by artist Allan Ramsay and philosophers David Hume and Adam Smith. Later, The Poker Club was formed to encourage discussion about important issues.

Historians say that by 1750, Scotland's main cities had a strong network of universities, reading groups, libraries, and other places that supported new ideas. This network was very important for the spread of Enlightenment ideas across the world.

The Scottish Enlightenment was also greatly influenced by Scottish Presbyterianism, a type of Protestant church. Many important thinkers were Presbyterian ministers, like William Robertson, a historian and head of the University of Edinburgh. Even skeptics like Adam Smith and David Hume were supported by these tolerant church leaders.

Key Areas of Thought

Thinking Logically and Learning from Experience

Francis Hutcheson (1694–1746) was a very important philosopher. He taught moral philosophy at Glasgow. He helped develop ideas like Utilitarianism, which focuses on actions that bring the greatest good to the greatest number of people.

David Hume (1711–76) wrote Treatise on Human Nature (1738). His work helped define Empiricism (learning through experience) and Scepticism (questioning things). He greatly influenced later thinkers like Adam Smith and Immanuel Kant.

In contrast to Hume, Thomas Reid (1710–96) and others developed "Scottish Common Sense Realism." This idea argued that some basic concepts, like human existence or the reality of objects, are naturally understood by people. They believed these basic truths should be the starting point for all moral arguments. It was a way to connect new scientific discoveries with religious beliefs.

Literature and Storytelling

Many important writers came from Scotland during this time. James Boswell (1740–95) wrote famous travel books and a detailed biography of the English writer Samuel Johnson.

Allan Ramsay (1686–1758) helped bring back interest in older Scottish literature and developed a style of pastoral poetry. Henry Home, Lord Kames (1696–1782), a lawyer, wrote Elements of Criticism (1762), which became a standard textbook on writing and style.

Hugh Blair (1718–1800) was a minister and professor at the University of Edinburgh. He published a popular series of Sermons and Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres. His work influenced many Scottish Enlightenment thinkers.

James Macpherson (1736–96) became famous for his "translations" of poems by an ancient bard named Ossian. These poems, like Fingal (1762), were translated into many languages and helped start the Romantic movement in Europe, which valued nature and ancient legends. Later, it became clear that the poems were not direct translations but Macpherson's own adaptations.

Before Robert Burns (1759–96), Robert Fergusson (1750–74) was a very important Scottish language poet. His poem "Auld Reekie" (1773) celebrated Edinburgh. Burns, from Ayrshire, is now Scotland's national poet. He wrote original poems and collected and adapted Scottish folk songs. His work drew on classical, biblical, and English literature, as well as Scottish traditions.

New Ideas in Economics

Adam Smith developed and published The Wealth of Nations, which is considered the beginning of modern economics. This book immediately changed British economic policy and still shapes discussions about globalisation and tariffs (taxes on goods).

Smith said that land, labor, and capital (money/resources) are the three main things that create a nation's wealth. He explained the benefits of division of labour (specializing in tasks), which can lead to more goods being produced and better trade. He famously wrote about the "invisible hand," where individuals trying to make a profit for themselves can also benefit society as a whole. Economists connect this idea to Smith's concern for ordinary people, believing that economic growth helps everyone by allowing them to consume more.

Understanding Society and People

Scottish Enlightenment thinkers, like James Burnett, Lord Monboddo (1714–99) and Lord Kames, worked on a "science of man." They studied how humans behaved in ancient and early cultures, and how modern life changed them. Modern ideas about studying human cultures largely started in Scotland.

James Burnett is known for his work in linguistics, the study of language. He was one of the first to suggest that humans developed language skills as their environment and social groups changed. He also had early ideas about evolution, which were later developed by Charles Darwin.

Amazing Discoveries in Science and Medicine

Science and medicine were central to the Scottish Enlightenment. Many key thinkers were doctors or had studied science. Unlike in other countries, Scottish thinkers were not controlled by powerful rich patrons. This led them to see science as a way to be useful, improve things, and bring about reform.

Colin Maclaurin (1698–1746) became a math professor at 19 and was a leading British mathematician. Physicist Sir John Leslie (1766–1832) was known for his heat experiments and was the first to make ice artificially.

Other important scientists included William Cullen (1710–90), a doctor and chemist, and Joseph Black (1728–99), a physicist and chemist. Black discovered carbon dioxide and latent heat (hidden heat), and created what many see as the first chemical formulas.

James Hutton (1726–97) was the first modern geologist. His book Theory of the Earth (1795) challenged old ideas about how old the Earth was. His ideas were made popular by scientist John Playfair (1748–1819). Before Hutton, Reverend David Ure was the first to illustrate shells and describe the geology of southern Scotland. His findings inspired Scotland's efforts to record and understand natural history and Fossils.

Edinburgh became a major center for medical teaching and research.

Lasting Impact

A great example of the Scottish Enlightenment's wide influence was the new Encyclopædia Britannica. It was created in Edinburgh and first published in three volumes between 1768 and 1771. It quickly became a standard reference book in the English-speaking world. The fourth edition in 1810 had 20 volumes! The Encyclopaedia was published in Edinburgh until 1898.

Cultural Influence

The Scottish Enlightenment also had a big impact on Scotland's culture, including its architecture, art, and music.

Scotland produced some very important architects. Robert Adam (1728–92) and his brothers developed the "Adam style," which influenced architecture in Britain, Europe, North America, and Russia. William Chambers, another Scot, was also a key architect and worked for King George III.

Artists like John Alexander and William Mossman painted many important people in Edinburgh. The leading Scottish artist of the late 1700s, Allan Ramsay, painted many figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, including his friend David Hume. Gavin Hamilton (1723–98) spent most of his career in Italy. He was a pioneering painter of historical and mythical scenes, and his classical style greatly influenced French artists.

Music also grew. The Musical Society of Edinburgh was formed in 1728. Scottish composers like Thomas Erskine, 6th Earl of Kellie (1732–81) were important. In the mid-1700s, Scottish composers started to mix traditional Scottish tunes with Italian music styles, creating a "Scots drawing room style" that appealed to the middle class. James Oswald (1710–69) and William McGibbon (1690–1756) were key figures in this. Oswald's Curious Collection of Scottish Songs (1740) was one of the first to include both Gaelic and Lowland tunes, helping to create a unified Scottish musical identity.

Wider Reach

Even after the main period of the Scottish Enlightenment ended around the late 1700s, Scots continued to make huge contributions to science and literature for another 50 years or more. Thinkers like James Watt, William Murdoch, and Sir Walter Scott kept the spirit alive.

The ideas of the Scottish Enlightenment spread across the British Empire and into other countries. Its political ideas had a big impact on the founding fathers of the US, who created the new American nation. The philosophy of Scottish Common Sense Realism was especially important in American thought and religion in the 1800s.

In Stories and Plays

The Scottish writer Robert McLellan (1907-1985) wrote plays about Edinburgh during the Scottish Enlightenment, like The Flouers o Edinburgh (1957). These plays featured many historical figures from the movement and showed the social tensions of the time, especially between traditional Scottish ways and the growing influence of English culture. Other plays, like Young Auchinleck (1962) about a young James Boswell, and The Hypocrite (1967), which looked at religious reactions against Enlightenment ideas, also explored these themes.

Key Figures

Plus those who visited and talked with Scottish scholars:

See also

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