The Scottish Enlightenment: Markets, Minds, and Morals
Phil 3162/Hist 3162
May 20 - June 3, 2011
The Scottish Enlightenment is widely recognized as an age of genius. In the period from 1720 to 1790, Scotland led the world in almost every area of human inquiry. The work of Adam Smith and David Hume, two of the most famous thinkers of the period, has had an extraordinary influence on the development of the modern world and how we think about it. Our 20 11 trip will introduce you to several of the fundamental texts of the period and the context in which those ideas took shape, focusing on the question of the problem and promise of commercial society. The trip includes study in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and St. Andrews, three historic centers of the Scottish Enlightenment. In each of these cities, there will be guest lectures by internationally-recognized experts in the study of the Scottish Enlightenment. In addition, there will be time and opportunity to enjoy the extensive cultural offerings of these beautiful cities. We will then proceed to Fort William, in the Scottish Highlands, where we will have the chance to reflect on how 18th century Scotland and its economic experimentation played an influential role in the development of capitalism and our understanding of the virtues and vices of commercial societies.
Dr. Mark Collier, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Minnesota, Morris. Mark received his Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego. His primary area of specialization is David Hume, one of the leading thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment. He was previously a faculty member at Stanford University, University of Pittsburgh (Semester at Sea), and Pomona College.
Dr. Marynel Ryan Van Zee, Assistant Professor of History at the University of Minnesota, Morris. Marynel earned her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 2006. Her research focuses on the history of economics as a field of knowledge and, in particular, on the political and institutional contexts within which economic knowledge is produced. She teaches broadly in the history of modern Europe.
Dr. Alexander Broadie, Professor of Logic and Rhetoric at the University of Glasgow. He is the author of 16 books, including The Scottish Enlightenment: The Historical Age of the Historical Nation and Why Scottish Philosophy Matters.
Dr. Nicholas Phillipson, Honorary Research Felow in History at the University of Edinburgh. Professor Phillipson taught at the University of Edinburgh from 1965 until 2004. He is the author of countless articles and numerous books on the Scottish Enlightenment, including David Hume (2008) and Adam Smith: An Enlightened Life (2010). He has also co-edited several important volumes, including Scotland in the Age of Improvement: Essays in Scottish History in the Eighteenth Century.
Dr. James Harris, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of St. Andrews. Professor Harris is the author of Of Liberty and Necessity: The Free Will Debate in 18th-Century British Philosophy. He is currently editing the Oxford Handbook of British Philosophy in the Eighteenth Century and writing anintellectual biography of David Hume.
Tentative Course Schedule:
May 20: Day of Arrival.
Meet at hostel for tour of city, 1:30pm. Group supper at the Bothy Restaurant5:30pm.
May 21: Class meeting at youth hostel, 4-5:30 PM.
David Allan, Scotland in the Eighteenth Century: Union and Enlightenment, Chapter One (‘Nation’) and Chapter Three (‘Lives’).
Nicholas Phillipson, "The Scottish Enlightenment" from Porter and Teich, Eds., The Enlightenment in National Context.
May 22: Class meeting at youth hostel, 2-5pm.
Bernard Mandeville, Preface, “The Grumbling Hive,” and “An Enquiry into the Origin of Moral Virtue” from The Fable of the Bees and Other Writings.
Rousseau, Second Discourse ("Discourse on the Origin of Inequality"), 10-15 and 34-71.
Adam Smith, excerpt from “A Letter to the Authors of the Edinburgh Review”, from Essays on Philosophical Subjects.
Ryan Patrick Hanley, “The Problem: Commerce and Corruption,” from Adam Smith and the Character of Virtue , 15-24.
May 23: Class meeting at youth hostel, 10am-1pm.
Francis Hutcheson, An Inquiry Concerning Moral Good and Evil, Introduction and Section One.
David Hume, Moral Philosophy, “Of the love of fame” (28-34) and “Of the other virtues and vices” (151-63).
Mark Collier, “Hume's Theory of Moral Imagination,” History of Philosophy Quarterly, 27, 2010, 255-273.
May 24: Two class meetings.
MORNING Class meeting at youth hostel, 10am-12pm.
Adam Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments, Part One, Sections One and Two, 3-18, 36-40.
AFTERNOON class meeting with Alexander Broadie at University Gardens, 2pm-4pm (meet at hostel at 1:30pm).
Adam Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments, Part Three, Chapters 1 and 4, 111-113, 151-155.
Alexander Broadie, “Sympathy and the Impartial Spectator,” from Knud Haakonssen, Ed., The Cambridge Companion to Adam Smith.
May 25: Travel day.
Travel to Edinburgh, with a visit to visit to Stirling Castle (entrance with Explorer Pass) en route and tour of town and Edinburgh Castle upon arrival.
May 26: Class meeting at Ibis Hotel Breakfast Room, 3pm-5pm.
David Hume, Moral Philosophy, “Of greatness of mind”, 163-170.
Adam Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments, Part One, Section Three, Chapters Two and Three, 48-64.
Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, excerpts from Books I and V entitled “The Division of Labor and the Provision of Education,” from Alexander Broadie, Ed., The Scottish Enlightenment: an Anthology.
Adam Smith, Lectures on Jurisprudence (B), 538-541.
May 27: Two class meetings.
MORNING Class meeting at Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities, 10am-12pm.
David Hume, Moral Philosophy,“Of qualities useful to ourselves”, 232-243.
Adam Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments, Part Six, Section One, 213-218.
AFTERNOON class meeting with Nicholas Phillipson at Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities, 2pm-4pm.
Nicholas Phillipson, “The Theory of Moral Sentiments and the Civilizing Powers of Commerce,” from Adam Smith: An Enlightened Life.
May 28: Class meeting at Ibis Hotel Breakfast Room, 3pm-5pm.
David Hume, Moral Philosophy,“Why utility pleases”, 218-222.
Adam Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments, Part Four, Chapters One and Two (177-192).
May 29: Travel Day.
Travel to Saint Andrews, with a visit to Aberdour Castle (entrance with Explorer Pass) and a stop for lunch (on own) en route.
May 30: Two class meetings.
MORNING class meeting at University of Saint Andrews Philosophy Department, 10am-12pm.
David Hume, Moral Philosophy, “Of the origin of justice and property” (87-99), “Of the origin of government” (123-126), and “Of chastity and modesty” (148-150).
Mark Collier, “Hume's Natural History of Justice,” from C. Taylor and S. Buckle (Eds.), Hume and the Enlightenment, 2011.
AFTERNOON class meeting with James Harris at University of Saint Andrews Philosophy Department, 2pm-4pm.
David Hume, Moral Philosophy, "Justice", 197-203.
Adam Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments, "Of the sense of justice, or remorse, and of the consciousness of merit", 82-86.
Thomas Reid, Essay V, Chapter 5.
May 31: Travel Day.
Travel to Fort William, with a visit to Urquhart Castle (entrance with Explorer Pass) and stop at the Caledonian Canal en route.
June 1: Class meeting at Guisachan Guest House Breakfast Room, 10am-12pm.
Adam Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments, Part Three, Chapter 2 and beginning of Chapter 3 (114-130) and Part Seven, Section Two, Chapter 4 (306-313).
Ryan Patrick Hanley, “Commerce and Corruption: Rousseau's Diagnosis and Adam Smith's Cure.” European Journal of Political Theory 7(2): 137-158, 2008.
Afternoon tour of Ben Nevis Distiller.
June 2: Two class meetings.
MORNING class meeting at Guisachan Guest House Breakfast Room, 10am-12pm.
James Otteson, “The Recurring ‘Adam Smith Problem,'” History of Philosophy Quarterly, 17 (1): January 2000, 51-74.
EVENING discussion at Ben Nevis Inn, followed by supper at 6pm.
Selections from Deirdre McCloskey, The Bourgeois Virtues: Ethics for an Age of Commerce, 1-8, 501-505, and 507-508.
June 3: Class ends; coach transportation departs 8am from Bank Street Inn to Glasgow International Airport.