Enlightenment in Scotland and France: Studies in Political Thought (Routledge Research in Early Modern History)

Enlightenment in Scotland and France: Studies in Political Thought provides comparative analysis of the Scottish and French Enlightenments. Studies of the two Enlightenments have previously focused on the transnational, their story one of continuity between Scottish intellectuals and French philosophes and of a mutual commitment to combat fanaticism in all its forms. This book contends that what has been missing, by and large, from the scholarly literature is the comparative analysis that underscores the contrasts as well as the similarities of the Enlightenments in Scotland and France. This book shows that, although the similarities of "enlightened" political thought in the two countries are substantial, the differences are also remarkable and stand out in culminating relief in the Scottish and French reactions to the American Revolution. Mark Hulliung argues that it was 1776, not 1789, that was the moment when the spokespersons for Enlightenment in Scotland and France parted company. -- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication 6 Table of Contents 8 Preface 10 1. Introduction: Enlightenment in two languages and multiple dialects 12 2. Rousseau and the Scottish Enlightenment 20 Rousseau and commercial society 20 Did Adam Smith and the Scots write in response to Rousseau? 23 Reconsidering the Letter to the Edinburgh Review 26 Rousseau and the Scots: alternative approaches 28 3. Montesquieu in Scotland and France 33 Montesquieu’s Enlightened legacy 33 Montesquieu in Scotland 39 Montesquieu in France 46 4. Enlightened morality in Scotland and France 52 From the old philosophy to the new: the Scots 53 From the old philosophy to the new: the French 65 From ethics to politics 72 5. Monarchies and republics in Scotland and France 89 Modernizing classical republicanism 90 An anti-Machiavellian moment 100 Monarchies and republics in Scotland 105 Monarchies and republics in France 119 6. The social contract in Scotland and France 139 The social contract in Scotland: the early years 140 The social contract in Scotland: the later years 149 The social contract in France: from the early to the middle years 157 The social contract in France: from the middle to the later years 160 The social contract and the American Revolution 169 7. Conclusion: Looking back, looking forward 185 Index 195