The Scottish Enlightenment: Edinburgh's Golden Age of Ideas

After the Union of 1707, Scotland didn't fade into obscurity—it ignited a revolution of thought. In this episode, we explore the Scottish Enlightenment, the burst of intellectual energy that turned Edinburgh into a rival to London and Paris. We meet the key figures: David Hume, whose radical empiricism shook philosophy; Adam Smith, whose 'Wealth of Nations' founded modern economics; William Robertson, the historian who chronicled Scotland's past; and Joseph Black and James Hutton, whose scientific discoveries reshaped chemistry and geology. We dive into the clubs and societies—the Select Society, the Royal Society of Edinburgh—where ideas were debated over dinner. And we ask: why Scotland? How did a small, poor nation on Europe's fringe become a powerhouse of modern thought? From the crowded closes of the Old Town to the elegant squares of the New Town, Scotland's identity as a land of ideas was forged. Join us for a walk through the Enlightenment. #ScottishEnlightenment #Edinburgh #DavidHume #AdamSmith #WealthOfNations #TreatiseOfHumanNature #WilliamRobertson #JosephBlack #JamesHutton #SelectSociety #RoyalSocietyOfEdinburgh #UniversityOfEdinburgh #18thCentury #IntellectualHistory #Scotland #History #FexingoHistory #Enlightenment Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo