Beware 'Burns Supper' view of Scottish part in the Enlightenment
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Summary
THE Herald and Rosemary Goring deserves warm congratulations on the publication of the stimulating pamphlet on Enlightenment (The Herald, June 20), to which I was very pleased to contribute. It is rare indeed in the modern Scottish press to read such a number of thoughtprovoking and complementary essays on an important theme, presented in a wellproduced format.
I hope, however, that some of my fellow contributors will forgive me if I take issue with one of the assumptions which runs through much of the text - after all, reasoned debate was at the very heart of the first Scottish Enlightenment. It is now axiomatic on the part of many Scottish politicians, commentators and journalists to exaggerate the unique nature and impact of the great movement of ideas in the eighteenth century nation. No-one, of course, can deny the extraordinary scale of the intellectual and creative ferment in Scotland in that period. But we need to keep the Scottish contribution in comparative context and perspective lest we fall headlong into the seductive trap of intellectual chauvinism. Ethnic conceit is the enemy of impartial and reasoned analysis and should be left to languish in the "Burns Supper" school of Scottish history which is its true home.See the full content of this document
Extract
Beware 'Burns Supper' view of Scottish part in the Enlightenment
The Scottish thinkers undeniably had a distinctive and powerful impact. But H...
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