David Hume, the pre-eminent Enlightenment philosopher, was born in Edinburgh in 1711. There he lived for many years, and there he died, perhaps the most famous Scot in history. It was thus ...

On Sunday, David Brooks discussed theories of the French and Scottish Enlightenments and their relevance to contemporary American politics. In his definitions, he lumped Edmund Burke with Scottish ...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. As it turns out, The Enlightenment is the name given to The Thinker's plot to "reboot" human ...

Most people would agree that progress is a good thing, and few would deny that there has been extraordinary progress over the course of human history, or that human existence has improved in ...

Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations," published in 1776, advocated for a free market economy driven by competition and self-interest. Smith argued against mercantilism and government intervention, ...

A principled approach to polemics requires that the arguments of an opponent be presented accurately. The fact that you are unable to do this, that you feel compelled to mislead and misrepresent—in ...