Adam Ferguson's Later Writings - (Edinburgh Studies in Scottish Philosophy) by Ian Stewart & Max Skjönsberg

About the Book

A critically introduced and edited collection of new letters and an essay by the philosopher Adam Ferguson.

Book Synopsis

This volume will publish for the first time thirty-six, until now, unpublished letters, as well as a new essay on the French Revolution, by the moral philosopher, historian and man-of-letters Adam Ferguson (1723-1816). A major figure in the Scottish Enlightenment, Ferguson has been one of the principal beneficiaries of the refocus of scholarly attention beyond the towering figures of David Hume (1711-1776) and Adam Smith (1723-1790) and toward their larger intellectual network. Penned during the last decades of his life, these letters were all addressed to his close friend Sir John Macpherson. They concern major topics of the day such as Enlightenment, Empire, and the French Revolution, as well as various illuminating details about Ferguson's final decades. They add considerably to our knowledge of the late Scottish Enlightenment.
Located in a recent acquisition at the British Library, these previously unnoticed letters add considerably to our knowledge of Ferguson, his ideas - philosophical, historical, and political - and his intellectual milieu from 1784 to 1815. A substantial introductory essay presents the main findings, while critical apparatus will assist specialists and students alike in understanding this key Enlightenment thinker.

From the Back Cover

Uncovers new material from one of the major figures of the Scottish Enlightenment As scholarly interest in the Scottish Enlightenment continues to grow, so too does attention to the moral philosopher and historian Adam Ferguson (1723-1816). Ferguson has been one of the principal beneficiaries of the refocus of academic attention beyond the towering figures of David Hume (1711-1776) and Adam Smith (1723-1790) and towards their larger intellectual network. The plethora of recent studies, as well as the publication of Ferguson's unpublished manuscripts and his apparent extant correspondence, testifies to the increasing recognition of his importance to this era in Scotland. This volume contains thirty-six previously unpublished letters and one new essay on the French Revolution written by Ferguson. Penned during the last decades of his life, they were all addressed to his close friend Sir John Macpherson (1745-1821). The letters and essay concern major topics such as the context of the European Enlightenment, Empire, and the French Revolution, as well as various illuminating details about Ferguson's ideas (philosophical, historical, economic, and political) and his intellectual milieu from 1784 to 1815. The rediscovery of these writings marks a significant development in Ferguson studies and in the historiography of the late Scottish Enlightenment. This book presents the notable findings from these materials and provides a critical apparatus to assist specialists and students alike in understanding this key Enlightenment thinker. Key features and benefits: - Contextualises the thirty-six new letters and the new essay within Ferguson's life and oeuvre - Includes modern editions of further writings by Ferguson and helps to fill in gaps in his biography - Focuses on various anecdotes by and new information about the Moderate Literati of the Scottish Enlightenment - Presents new angles on crucial areas of study including the East India Company, the Regency Crisis, Scottish reactions to the French Revolution, and contemporary perceptions of Adam Smith's Political Economy - Reveals the extent of political influence that the Moderates of the Scottish Enlightenment, such as Ferguson, Hugh Blair (1718-1800) and Alexander Carlyle (1722-1805), attempted to exert on British foreign policy in the 1790s Ian Stewart is Associate Lecturer in European Intellectual History at University College London. Max Skjönsberg is an Assistant Professor of Humanities in the Hamilton Center at the University of Florida.

Review Quotes

a welcomed addition to Scottish Enlightenment studies.--Mark G. Spencer, Brock University "History of European Ideas"

The volume's backbone and raison d'être remain the rediscovered manuscripts, which are usefully contextualized in a wide-ranging introduction. They depict a Ferguson who was not a backward-looking ancient republican but rather a well-informed participant in the great political upheavals that marked the late Enlightenment.--Anna Plassart "Eighteenth-Century Scotland"

New writings by Adam Ferguson are made available for the first time in this significant edition. Important re-discovered letters (and one essay) shed fresh light on his original commentary on the French Revolution, and introduce his frequent correspondent Sir James Macpherson as a key player in late Scottish Enlightenment networks.

--Anna Plassart, Open University

Stewart & Skjönsberg have provided contemporary readers with an Adam Ferguson feast in a splendidly edited and introduced set of hitherto unpublished letters and an essay on the French Revolution, in addition to providing modern editions of Ferguson's late works and correspondence. The politics of Scottish moral philosophy in the context of enlightenment and revolution need to be reassessed in the light of their outstanding scholarship.

--Richard Whatmore, University of St Andrews

Three dozen new letters from Adam Ferguson to Sir John Macpherson highlight this volume of writings from the latter part of Ferguson's career. Filled with Ferguson's characteristic wit and charm, the letters constitute a valuable addition to our knowledge of the man and his circle.

--Richard B. Sher, author of Church and University in the Scottish Enlightenment

About the Author

Ian Stewart is an Associate Lecturer in European Intellectual History at University College London.

Max Skjönsberg is an Assistant Professor of Humanities in the Hamilton Center at the University of Florida.