How the Scots Invented the Modern World

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Herman generally employs the Great Man perspective in his work, which is 19th-century historical methodology attributing human events and their outcomes to the singular efforts of great men that has been refined and qualified by such modern thinkers as Sidney Hook. Surprisingly, the Scotch egg was *not* invented by a Scot but by London department store Fortnum & Mason. Scots likewise made great contributions to science and technology. Today we measure power in terms of “watts”, a tribute to James Watt, whose improvements to steam engines made them finally practical for widespread use. We drive on “macadam” roads, initially developed by John McAdam.

How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story… How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story…

The Scots here get all the credit, for everything from humanistic philosophy to capitalism to the steam engine to Agent 007. A lively intellectual life in the burgeoning cities of the Scottish lowlands put Scotland at the forefront of the 18 th century enlightenment. The Scottish Enlightenment was more practical and aligned with common sense than was the Enlightenment of the French philosophes. David Hume and Adam Smith are just two of the significant Scottish thinkers of this era. The works of Hume and of Smith (e.g. The Wealth of Nations) are still required reading today in the fields of philosophy and of economics.Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil. a b Golf, Sarah F.; Mark Rotella; Lynn Andriani; Jeff Zaleski (September 24, 2001). "How the Scots invented the Modern World". Publishers Weekly. 248 (39): 77. You will also learn about the "colossus of roads" Thomas Telford, whose prodigious accomplishments in the construction of roads, bridges, canals and dams gave England an interconnected transportation network, making it ripe for the British Industrial Revolution. You will also learn about John MacAdam, whose "macadamisation" process allowed for smooth, stable roads to be efficiently built and to replace the network of soil-based roads in England. Although there are a few chapters in this book dedicated to explaining the ideas of the philosophers of the Scottish Enlightenment, the bulk of the book is an examination of how those ideas spread and changed not just Scotland or the UK but, in Herman’s view, the Western world. As with Herman’s more recent book, The Cave and the Light, this is a hugely readable and enjoyable history – Herman writes in a way that makes his books very accessible to non-academic readers. Herman received his B.A. from the University of Minnesota and M.A. and Ph.D. in history from Johns Hopkins University. He spent a semester abroad at The University of Edinburgh in Scotland. [1] His 1984 dissertation research dealt with the political thought of early-17th-century French Huguenots. [2]

HOW THE SCOTS INVENTED THE MODERN WORLD | Kirkus Reviews HOW THE SCOTS INVENTED THE MODERN WORLD | Kirkus Reviews

Herman's father Arthur L. Herman, a scholar of Sanskrit, was a professor of philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Welsh, Irvine (January 19, 2002). "The flowers of Scotland". The Guardian. London. p.E5 . Retrieved September 1, 2009. As a general introduction to the Scottish thinkers of the 18th century and to the subsequent activities of the Scottish diaspora, it is sensible and measured. Unfortunately, the author does not know when to stop. In rightly praising the Scots for their remarkable achievements, he wants to make them responsible for everything. An unsatisfactory read. The author fails to define what he means by "the modern world", so anything that any Scot did can be thrown into the hopper. And his reasoning fails at a very basic level. If he says (to make up an example typical of how he looks at the subject), "By 1900 30% of Canadian doctors were Scottish," then he must concede that 70% were not Scottish. And they probably were English. So why doesn't that mean that the English invented the modern world? a b Kemp, Arnold (January 20, 2002). "From the school of hard Knox to masters of the world". The Observer. London. p.E5 . Retrieved September 1, 2009.

TV was invented by John Logie Baird in 1925, although had he foreseen Celebrity Big Brother then he might have invented something else instead. One reviewer noted the book's "almost complete dependence on secondary sources". [7] Herman provides a section, at the end of the book, listing sources used and suggestions for further reading on each chapter. In this section, he notes that some of the most influential sources consulted included the works of Scottish historians Bruce Lenman, John Prebble, Thomas Devine, and Duncan Bruce, amongst others.

How the Scots Invented the Modern World - Arthur Herman How the Scots Invented the Modern World - Arthur Herman

Herman wrote the book for an American audience which may not have been very familiar with Scottish history. [7] He provides a historical overview and short biographies of the most prominent Scots. The historical approach uses the Great Man Theory, that a historical narrative can be told through the lives of a few prominent figures. [1] Regarding this approach Michael Lynch of The Globe and Mail wrote, the biographies "reveal subtle but important links between these figures and their ideas, which Herman seeks to characterize, with some success, as a coherent body of distinctively 'Scottish' thought." [8] a b c d e Farquharson, Kenny (April 14, 2002). "Enlightenment can be a dangerous thing (Interview)". The Sunday Times. London. p.E5. Finally we have a book that explains how the . . . Scots created the modern civilized values America and the Western world still uphold. This is a great book, one which is now even more relevant than ever."--Michael Barone, U.S. News & World Report, coauthor of The Almanac of American Politics He did not join the ranks of the so-called declinists after examining the works of Friedrich Nietzsche, Michel Foucault, Henry Adams, Brooks Adams, Oswald Spengler, and Arnold Toynbee, who expressed pessimism about the fate of the West, and remains cautiously optimistic about the future of the Western civilization. [8] [9]In this book, you will learn about the Scottish Enlightenment. In particular, you will learn about how Scotland, prior to its enlightenment, was dominated by the Presbyterian Church (called the "Kirk"). At this time, the Kirk routinely executed blasphemers and promoted the world-view that man is an inherently sinful creature who can never truly redeem himself. Fortunately, a great thinker named Francis Hutcheson promoted the idea that men are generally moral creatures and shifted the focus of philosophical inquiry towards matters of concern to individuals living on earth (e.g., how men can be moral, how men can coexist in a society, etc.) as opposed to focusing on God, Church or Monarchy. Thus with Hutcheson, argues Herman, was the beginning of the Scottish Enlightenment. This led to a willingness on the part of the Scottish elite to surrender their independence in return for the chance to participate in commerce on the same terms as the English and under the protection of the Royal Navy. An Act of Union between the two kingdoms was approved in 1707. This led to a rise in prosperity and helped set in motion various influences of modernization. Firstly, there was a large injection of rationalism into religious thinking by key prominant players. Equality of all before god, working to god's glory, and recognising god in the observable facts of nature were principles carried into the heart of Scottish society. Herman's book tells an exciting story with gusto . . . its range and narrative verve make it an entertaining and illuminating read." -- Sunday Times (London)