The origin of the distinction of ranks, or, An inquiry into the circumstances which give rise to influence and authority, in the different members of society

Author(s)

• Millar, John
• Garrett, Aaron

Bibliographic Information

The origin of the distinction of ranks, or, An inquiry into the circumstances which give rise to influence and authority, in the different members of society

John Millar ; edited and with an introduction by Aaron Garrett

（Natural law and Enlightenment classics, . The works and correspondence of John Millar）

Liberty Fund, c2006

• : hardcover
• : pbk

Other Title

The origin of the distinction of ranks

Note

Originally published: Edinburgh : Printed for William Blackwood, and Longman, Hurst, Rees, & Orme, Paternoster-Row, London, 1806 (4th ed., corr.)

Includes bibliographical references (p. 291-298) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

This is one of the major products of the Scottish Enlightenment and a masterpiece of jurisprudence and social theory. Building on David Hume, Adam Smith, and their respective natural histories of man, John Millar developed a progressive account of the nature of authority in society by analysing changes in subsistence, agriculture, arts, and manufacture. 'The Origin of the Distinction of Ranks' is perhaps the most precise and compact development of the abiding themes of the liberal wing of the Scottish Enlightenment. Drawing on Smith's four-stages theory of history and the natural law's traditional division of domestic duties into those toward servants, children, and women, Millar provides a rich historical analysis of the ways in which progressive economic change transforms the nature of authority. In particular, he argues that, with the progress of arts and manufacture, authority tends to become less violent and concentrated, and ranks tend to diversify.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• THE ORIGIN OF THE DISTINCTION OF RANKS -- Or, An Inquiry into the Circumstances Which Give Rise to Influence and Authority, in the Different Members of Society 1
• Appendix 1: Note on the Edition
• Appendix 2: Millars Preface to the First Edition
• Appendix 3: Millars 'Lectures on Government'
• Index.

by "Nielsen BookData"

Details

• NCID: BA76410262
• ISBN:
  • 9780865974760
  • 9780865974777
• LCCN: 2005022900
• Country Code: us
• Title Language Code: eng
• Text Language Code: eng
• Place of Publication: Indianapolis
• Pages/Volumes: xix, 316 p.
• Size: 24 cm
• Classification:
  • LCC : HT607
  • DC22 : 305.5/12
• Subject Headings:
  • LCSH : Social classes -- History -- Early works to 1800
  • LCSH : Women -- History -- Early works to 1800
  • LCSH : Women -- Social conditions -- Early works to 1800
  • LCSH : Primitive societies -- Early works to 1800
  • LCSH : Parent and child -- Early works to 1800
  • LCSH : Master and servant -- Early works to 1800
• Parent Bibliography ID:
  • BA55306728