| How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World and Everything in It | 
 enlarge | Author: Arthur Herman
Publisher: Crown
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  83 reviews
Sales Rank: 170435
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 0609606352
Dewey Decimal Number: 941.1
EAN: 9780609606353
ASIN: 0609606352
Publication Date: November 27, 2001
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Amazon.com Review
"I am a Scotsman," Sir Walter Scott famously wrote, "therefore I had to fight my way into the world." So did any number of his compatriots over a period of just a few centuries, leaving their native country and traveling to every continent, carving out livelihoods and bringing ideas of freedom, self-reliance, moral discipline, and technological mastery with them, among other key assumptions of what historian Arthur Herman calls the "Scottish mentality." 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
Product Description
Who formed the first modern nation?
Who created the first literate society?
Who invented our modern ideas of democracy and free market capitalism?
The Scots.
Mention of Scotland and the Scots usually conjures up images of kilts, bagpipes, Scotch whisky, and golf. But as historian and author Arthur Herman demonstrates, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Scotland earned the respect of the rest of the world for its crucial contributions to science, philosophy, literature, education, medicine, commerce, and politics—contributions that have formed and nurtured the modern West ever since.
Arthur Herman has charted a fascinating journey across the centuries of Scottish history. He lucidly summarizes the ideas, discoveries, and achievements that made this small country facing on the North Atlantic an inspiration and driving force in world history. Here is the untold story of how John Knox and the Church of Scotland laid the foundation for our modern idea of democracy; how the Scottish Enlightenment helped to inspire both the American Revolution and the U.S. Constitution; and how thousands of Scottish immigrants left their homes to create the American frontier, the Australian outback, and the British Empire in India and Hong Kong.
How the Scots Invented the Modern World reveals how Scottish genius for creating the basic ideas and institutions of modern life stamped the lives of a series of remarkable historical figures, from James Watt and Adam Smith to Andrew Carnegie and Arthur Conan Doyle, and how Scottish heroes continue to inspire our contemporary culture, from William “Braveheart” Wallace to James Bond.
Victorian historian John Anthony Froude once proclaimed, “No people so few in number have scored so deep a mark in the world’s history as the Scots have done.” And no one who has taken this incredible historical trek, from the Highland glens and the factories and slums of Glasgow to the California Gold Rush and the search for the source of the Nile, will ever view Scotland and the Scots—or the modern West—in the same way again. For this is a story not just about Scotland: it is an exciting account of the origins of the modern world and its consequences.
“The point of this book is that being Scottish turns out to be more than just a matter of nationality or place of origin or clan or even culture. It is also a state of mind, a way of viewing the world and our place in it. . . . This is the story of how the Scots created the basic idea of modernity. It will show how that idea transformed their own culture and society in the eighteenth century, and how they carried it with them wherever they went. Obviously, the Scots did not do everything by themselves: other nations—Germans, French, English, Italians, Russians, and many others—have their place in the making of the modern world. But it is the Scots more than anyone else who have created the lens through which we see the final product. When we gaze out on a contemporary world shaped by technology, capitalism, and modern democracy, and struggle to find our place as individuals in it, we are in effect viewing the world as the Scots did. . . . The story of Scotland in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries is one of hard-earned triumph and heart-rending tragedy, spilled blood and ruined lives, as well as of great achievement.”
—FROM THE PREFACE
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| Customer Reviews: Read 78 more reviews...
 Important connections November 30, 2008
There are some important points made in this book. For instance, that the basic social contract theory legitimizing government begins with George Buchanan instead of Thomas Hobbes. This is somewhat contrary to the way Preston King explains the difference in his book "The Ideology of Order" where he describes the difference as Hobbes, Spinoza, and others, are concerned about the structure of government and how it works, while Buchanan, Locke, Rousseau, and others were concerned with who should exercise governmental sovereignty. Regardless this makes it certainly appear that the trail of social contract theory goes through Buchanan and Knox back to the German schools Knox and Luther attended. This needs to be explored. I wonder if Charles Taylor has already explored it? Another interesting point is the connection between Adam Smith, Adam Ferguson and Hegel.
One critique is how Hume's major philosophical impact was made. Herman's focus is on the relationship of reason to emotion but this misses the entire point that woke Kant regarding the synthetic a priori which is the reason for Hume's position on reason. But I have to admit that may have been hard to incorporate in the story. It somewhat comes up in the section describing Thomas Reid's reaction to Hume. John Witherspoon's connection to the revolution turns out to be interesting as well.
Scottish science November 6, 2008
After a radical rejection of that eras Roman Catholic Church, Scotland ambles into an era of greatly increasing literacy and community involvement. By the early 1700s things are really rolling. Herman describes the ideas of political correctness and Adam Smith very well.
Today political correctness is the process of being less than honest to avoid hurting peoples feelings. In highland Scotland it became a new set of manners adapted so that clan chieftans didn't go around summarily executing people. It became known as being "polite".
Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations is also explained well. Smith justified or explained some benefits of the Profit Motive. But not Profit Taking. Remember that the next time you go to the local butcher shop or by some pins for your shirt.
The Scottish Enlightenment! September 20, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a very well-organized book on the intellectual influence Scottish culture has had on the western world, most notably the United States and the United Kingdom. Despite the misleading title, this is not one of those "ethnic pride" books. Instead, Herman focuses on the specific intellectual achievements of specific, Scots and identifies that they were successful not because of some miraculous Scottish gene but because they were brilliant thinkers who were committed to scientific inquiry, productivity and sound morality.
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.
In this book, you will also learn about many other great thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment. This includes Lord Kames, who wrote extensively on the importance of property and trade to allow societies to flourish. This also includes the pioneering economist Adam Smith, whose 'Wealth of Nations' became the first great work of capitalism.
The chapter on the great scientists and inventors of the Scottish Enlightenment is amazing. In this chapter you will learn about James Watt, the inventor of the steam engine. Watt is a man who is so confident in his brilliance and productivity that he agreed to build an organ for a church before he knew anything about organs or music. However, Watt displayed that his confidence was indeed rational, as he learned everything he needed to know to successfully build the organ by the original deadline.
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.
Herman does a great job in painting a great historical context. This is particularly good for readers who may not be too keen on their British history. In this book, you will learn about the political/religious monarchical disputes between the House of Hanover and the House of Stuart and the Scottish infatuation with exiled British throne claimant Bonnie Prince Charlie. You will also learn about the Act of Union, which originally created the United Kingdom, and how Scotland was motivated to support it during a crushing economic depression. Finally, you will learn good context of the 13th/14th century Wars of Scottish Independence, including brief overviews of the celebrated Scottish warriors such as William Wallace (Braveheart) and Robert the Bruce as well as the Scottish bitterness over the English capture of the Stone of Scone.
This book has a few shortcomings. The major flaw is overkill. Much of the most exciting information is diluted by being tossed into an ocean of less interesting stories. Moreover, Herman advances a few claims, which are not that convincing. For example, Herman argues that David Hume had an enormous influence on American revolutionary thinkers such as James Madison, when it seems more appropriate to credit British empiricist John Locke. Nevertheless, none of these questionable assertions are major linchpins of Herman's book.
Overall, a very good read!
A dry, yet fascinating and convincing book. August 31, 2008
The "exaggerated" title of the book made me wonder if the author was aiming for a light-hearted tone, but he's serious! Herman backs up his claim with plenty of historical and anecdotal evidence, leaving the reader with an unabashed sense of respect and appreciation for the nation of Scotland and its people.
The book is particularly strong in explaining how influential the Scots were in the Enlightenment and Industrial eras, and how much American society was initially shaped by the Scots.
The book is written in a slightly dry, humorless, and scholarly manner, though, which might make this a cumbersome read for someone with no initial interest in the subject matter. However, history buffs will find this a fascinating and thought-provoking book!
Loved It August 11, 2008
Scottish history has always been vague to me, but Herman mixes history, biography, philosophy and much more into a great read. I was amazed at how events in the 1700s affect events today...like gun control. He overstates his case, but any professor that doesn't exude enthusiasm for his subject would be considered dull these days.
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