The Cambridge Companion to the Scottish Enlightenment

The Cambridge Companion to the Scottish Enlightenment offers a philosophical perspective on an eighteenth-century movement that has been profoundly influential on western culture. A distinguished team of contributors examines the writings of David Hume Adam Smith Thomas Reid Adam Ferguson Colin Maclaurin and other Scottish thinkers in fields including philosophy natural theology economics anthropology natural science and law. In addition the contributors relate the Scottish Enlightenment to its historical context and assess its impact and legacy in Europe America and beyond. The result is a comprehensive and accessible volume that illuminates the richness the intellectual variety and the underlying unity of this important movement. It will be of interest to a wide range of readers in philosophy theology literature and the history of ideas.