The Science of Man in the Scottish Enlightenment: Hume, Reid, and Their Contemporaries

Nine leading scholars give new interpretations and perspectives on the Scottish Enlightenment and its key thinkers. Enlightenment thought was characterized by its extraordinary breadth in both the arts and the sciences, and an intellectual fascination for the role of man within his society - "the science of man". This book elucidates the writings of Hume, Reid and other 18th century scholars and sheds fresh light on both their ideas and the contexts within which they were writing. The "science of man" was remarkably broad in its concerns and this is reflected in the book, with chapters covering the 18th-century view of women, the "common people", language, modern aesthetics and philosophy.