The Idea of Commercial Society in the Scottish Enlightenment

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The most arresting aspect of the Scottish Enlightenment is its conception of commercial society as a distinct and distinctive social formation. Christopher Berry explains why Enlightenment thinkers considered commercial society to be wealthier and freer than earlier forms, and charts the contemporary debates and tensions between Enlightenment thinkers that this idea raised. The book analyses the full range of literature on the subject, from key works like Adam Smith's 'Wealth of Nations', David Hume's 'Essays and Treatises on Several Subjects' and Adam Ferguson's 'Essay on the History of Civil Society' to lesser-known works such as Robert Wallace's 'Dissertation on Numbers of Mankind'.

Reviews

Berry's Scottish Enlightenment is an integrated affair, and his writing about it mirrors that theme, masterly overlapping interpretations of primary sources with meaningful discussions of much of the most important historiography. [...] The resulting synthesis is both an original and expert contribution to Scottish Enlightenment studies and an accessible introduction to the field that might be read by students at many levels.--Mark G. Spencer "1650-1850: Ideas, Aesthetics, and Inquiries of the Early Modern Era"
Chris Berry highlights a central novelty of the Scottish Enlightenment, its unprecedented discussion of the inter-dependency of relations in a commercial society. Far from the din of today's uncompromising battles over the merits and flaws of the market, this was a nuanced conversation - on which we are privileged to eavesdrop.-- "Colin Kidd, University of St Andrews"
The revolution of the Scottish enlightenment was to inform the emergence of free trade zones, global markets and the financial system that underpins modern capitalism. Berry's account of this shift in understanding is nuanced and informed, and makes some significant contributions to the literature.--Michael P. Brown, University of Aberdeen "The Scottish Historical Review"

Author Bio

Christopher J. Berry is Professor Emeritus (Political Theory) at Glasgow University.