Scotland's Intellectual Triumph – The Scottish Enlightenment

Recommendable!

The year 1776 is not only famous for the US Declaration of Independence but also for the publication of Scottish author Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations.

Scotland's Intellectual Triumph – Samuel Gregg

David Hume, Scottish Political Philosopher who died in 1776

Recommendable! The author of this article uses Michael Oakeshott a lot for his argument.

David Hume was part of the Scottish Enlightenment. E.g. Friedrich August von Hayek wrote a lot about him as a classical liberal.

Caveat: I did not read the entire long article.

"... In contrast with the individualism of the natural rights school of Hobbes and Locke, Hume viewed the family as the basic unit of society: “the first and original principle of human society … is no other than that natural appetite between the sexes, which unites them together, and preserves their union, till a new tie takes place in their concern for their common offspring.”

However, the natural love of family (and friends) implies and indeed demands a “limited generosity” [akin to limited government] toward others. Our limited generosity, along with scarcity, means that justice [not equity] is necessary for several families to unite in a larger society, which in turn is essential for security and prosperity.

Though Hume accepted that smaller, uncultivated societies could get by for a while without government, he was clear that no large-scale society would be possible without justice. Against Hobbes, Hume viewed justice as prior to government, which was underpinned by what he called “laws of nature.” Three fundamental “laws of nature” stood out for Hume, all related to property (the prerequisite for peaceful coexistence): the stability of possession, its transfer by consent, and the performance of promises. The total system of human law was an amplification of these fundamental laws of nature. ..."

David Hume, Political Philosopher – Max Skjönsberg

Source

Adam Smith—The Father of Economics | PragerU

Redo! Too dumbed down! An insult to Adam Smith and the Scottish Enlightenment!

I usually like the short PragerU videos, but not this one!

(1547) Adam Smith—The Father of Economics | Economic Game Changers | PragerU - YouTube

When Scottish Sages of the Scottish Enlightenment Christened "Liberal"

Recommendable! 

Friedrich von Hayek (1899-1992) was right about the term (classical) liberalism was coined in Scotland! 

So was Joseph Schumpeter (1883-1950), who once said the enemies of liberalism would appropriate the term for themselves like the socialists did.

"... But the “liberal” christening was really kicked off by William Robertson in 1769, and in 1776, Adam Smith went all-in, in The Wealth of Nations. The political meaning was, essentially, a policy posture, premised on a stable, functional system of governmental authority. The policy posture is one of leaving people be, of “allowing every man to pursue his own interest his own way,” within the bounds of commutative justice. ...

in the words of J. A. Schumpeter, “as a supreme but unintended compliment, the enemies of the system of private enterprise have thought it wise to appropriate the label.” .."

From the abstract:

"The data from text digitization show that “liberal” acquired a sustained political signification for the first time around 1769: the liberal policy principles of Adam Smith and his associates. The bodies of evidence include:

(1) the non-occurrence in English prior to 1769 (with a few exceptions);

(2) the blossoming from 1769 of “liberal plan,” “liberal system,” “liberal principles,” “liberal policy,” etc.;

(3) the occurrence beginning in the 1770s of political uses of “liberal” in Parliament;

(4) the occurrence of the same in the Edinburgh Review, 1802 – 1824. The political adjective liberal came alive around 1769 and was sustained straight up to when the political nouns liberalism and liberal start up in the 1820s. The data from French, German, Italian, and Spanish confirm that Britain was the first to get to a political sense of “liberal.” Key authors are sampled."

When Scottish Sages Christened "Liberal" – Daniel Klein

“Liberal” as a Political Adjective (in English), 1769 – 1824

Adam Smith: Born 300 years ago!

What would this great philosopher of the Scottish Enlightenment say today!

We can not be sure, but he may venture to say that the principles of the Enlightenment have sadly faded away in 300 years and that medieval superstition has been revived in Western societies and culture! Individual freedom is at stake!

I bet, he and other like minded individuals would strive to shape a new Enlightenment!

Adam Smith - Wikipedia

13 Adam Smith Quotes on Government Greed and the Marvels of the Market

Very recommendable! It is a petty that the wise words of the Scottish Adam Smith are so unknown to most people!

What a momentous coincidence in history: The Wealth of Nations was published in the same year as the Declaration of Independence in the year 1776.

“No human wisdom or knowledge could ever be sufficient [for] the duty of superintending the industry of private people … towards the employment most suitable to the interest of the society.”

“Little else is requisite to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice: all the rest being brought about by the natural course of things.”

13 Adam Smith Quotes on Government Greed and the Marvels of the Market - Foundation for Economic Education

Reason Is Slave To The Passions Nonsense

David Hume

David Hume is perhaps a great philosopher, but he so terribly erred when he said  "Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions" in his “A Treatise of Human Nature”. In this respect Scottish Enlightenment has a serious defect.

Hope, I am not doing any injustice to David Hume here.

Undermines Individual Liberty And Responsibility

Anyone who believes in or acts on this or similar assertions is likely an authoritarian.

I would easily argue anytime that reason and moral values of most People beat any passions most of the time. Caveat: Nobody is perfect! :-)