An essay on the history of civil society
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
An essay on the history of civil society
（Cambridge texts in the history of political thought）
Cambridge University Press, 1995
- : hard
- : pbk
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Note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
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 offers a complex model of historical advance which challenges both Hume's and Smith's embrace of modernity and the primitivism of Rousseau. Ferguson combines a subtle analysis of the emergence of modern commercial society with a critique of its abandonment of civic and communal virtues. Central to Ferguson's theory of citizenship are the themes of conflict, play, political participation and military valour. The Essay is a bold and novel attempt to reclaim the tradition of active, virtuous citizenship and apply it to the modern state.
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.
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