Ferguson: An Essay on the History of Civil Society

A subtle critique of declining communal virtues, arguing instead for active citizenship.

Adam Ferguson's Essay on the History of Civil Society (first published in 1767) is a classic of the Scottish - and European - Enlightenment. Drawing on such diverse sources as classical authors and contemporary travel literature, Ferguson offers a complex model of historical advance which challenges both Hume's and Smith's embrace of modernity and the primitivism of Rousseau. Ferguson combines a subtle analysis of the emergence of modern commercial society with a critique of its abandonment of civic and communal virtues. Central to Ferguson's theory of citizenship are the themes of conflict, play, political participation and military valour. The Essay is a bold and novel attempt to reclaim the tradition of active, virtuous citizenship and apply it to the modern state.

1. Of the general characteristics of human nature
2. Of the history of rude nations
3. Of the history of policy and arts
4. Of the consequences that result from advancement of civil and commercial arts
5. Of the decline of nations
6. Of corruption and political slavery.