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It is only natural, Herman suggests, that a country that once ranked among Europe's poorest, if most literate, would prize the ideal of progress, measured "by how far we have come from where we once were." Forged in the Scottish Enlightenment, that ideal would inform the political theories of Francis Hutcheson, Adam Smith, and David Hume, and other Scottish thinkers who viewed "man as a product of history," and whose collective enterprise involved "nothing less than a massive reordering of human knowledge" (yielding, among other things, the Encyclopaedia Britannica, first published in Edinburgh in 1768, and the Declaration of Independence, published in Philadelphia just a few years later). On a more immediately practical front, but no less bound to that notion of progress, Scotland also fielded inventors, warriors, administrators, and diplomats such as Alexander Graham Bell, Andrew Carnegie, Simon MacTavish, and Charles James Napier, who created empires and great fortunes, extending Scotland's reach into every corner of the world.

Herman examines the lives and work of these and many more eminent Scots, capably defending his thesis and arguing, with both skill and good cheer, that the Scots "have by and large made the world a better place rather than a worse place." --Gregory McNamee

My feelings were the result of the remarkable way in which Herman organized and presented his work. Herman lays out his case in both chronological and subject order. The result of this organization is that the reader gets a true sense of how the Scottish Enlightenment's ideas not only grew from one thinker to another, but also how they moved across subject fields to create innovations in those areas as well. Herman also provides impeccable sources for his thesis, thereby giving credence to the theories he presents on the depth of Scottish contributions. Finally, he writes these theories and evidence in a way that is very accessible to the average reader. Even the chapters on philosophy, which had the potential for being very difficult, are presented in a comprehensible style. Because the concepts are depicted in an easy-to-understand manner, the reader can recognize the relevance of those ideas to modern life.

How The Scots Invented The Modern World should be required reading for college level history or philosophy classes. However, this is not a work that should be solely confined to the classroom. Any reader that finishes this book will find it impossible not to have an appreciation for the tremendous contributions that the Scots have made to the world.


Don't let the title keep you away from this book.   June 20, 2004
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Don't let the title keep you from reading this book. While it does trumpet the achievements of the Scottish people, it is primarily a history of the Scottish enlightenment and its impact on the world. Indeed, it was a remarkable period with a lasting influence. Among the products of this era were Adam Smith, David Hume, and Edward Gibbon. While it is a book of history, as the title suggests, it is a popular history so don't expect lots of footnotes. It is very well written and kept my interest from start to finish.


Essential primer on Scots-American heritage   April 8, 2004
Excellent and very readable story of the Scots contribution to Western civilization and the foundations of the USA in particular


Uneasy with this book   April 3, 2004
 5 out of 7 found this review helpful

At times interesting, at times dull. I was fine with that until I came to page 235 to read about Scotts in the American South. Herman says the term "redneck" was a Scots border term meaning Presbyerterians and "cracker" was also a Scottish term. That was news to me. I've checked with several sources and have never been able to find any indication this was true.

Things like that, and the absence of footnotes, leads me to feel uneasy about the accuracy of this book.

I shared some of the book with my church's business administrator, a native of Scotland. His response was to laugh and ask, "Who is this man?"

I suspect Herman is American. It shows when he refers to the Church of England as Episcopal -- which is technically true, but non-americans would have referred to the Church of England as Anglican. A telling moment that also made me wonder about the biases Herman may have brought in to the writing.

All in all, I just felt uneasy about trusting the author and his sources.