Ferguson: An Essay on the History of Civil Society
Ferguson: An Essay on the History of Civil Society
February 1996
Available
Paperback
9780521447362
Adam Ferguson's Essay on the History of Civil Society (first published in 1767) is a classic of the Scottish--and European--Enlightenment. Drawing on such diverse sources as classical authors and contemporary travel literature, Ferguson combines a subtle analysis of modern commercial society with a critique of its abandonment of civic and communal virtues. Central themes in Ferguson's theory of citizenship are conflict, play, political participation and military valor. The Essay is a bold and novel attempt to reclaim the tradition of active citizenship in the modern state.
- Classic work of the Enlightenment, by a figure at the centre of the eighteenth-century Scottish intellectual milieu
- Draws on classical literature, travel writing, and Ferguson's knowledge of the Gaelic communities where he was brought up
- Theme of active citizenship an important one today
Product details
February 1996Paperback
9780521447362
322 pages
216 × 140 × 18 mm
0.41kg
Available
Table of Contents
- 1. Of the general characteristics of human nature
- 2. Of the history of rude nations
- 3. Of the history of policy and arts
- 4. Of the consequences that result from advancement of civil and commercial arts
- 5. Of the decline of nations
- 6. Of corruption and political slavery.
