‘To enter into connections’: furious moderation in the Scottish Enlightenment

• Published in: History of European ideas Vol. 31; no. 2; pp. 251 - 264
• Main Author: Mathison, Hamish
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 2005; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: Enlightenment; Scotland; Writers
• ISSN: 0191-6599; 1873-541X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.histeuroideas.2003.11.011

Explores how 18th-century Scottish enlightenment thinker James Anderson helped to connect enlightenment, community, & print culture. Anderson was involved in economic & intellectual projects of a number of British institutions, including Britain's Crown, Executive, & Legislature. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society & a member of a great many non-governmental organizations. Anderson promoted "Enlightened" values through periodical like Monthly Review & Scots Magazine. He was intent upon advancing Enlightenment thought about the governance of communities. His special areas of interest included land reform, fisheries protection, the Scottish economy, individual liberty, freedom of the press, & the relationship between Scotland & Ireland. He felt communication was the key to useful knowledge & his work is filled with ideas related to communication, connection, & social intercourse. Numerous excerpts from his writing are cited to illustrate that he was a "true instrument of enlightenment" who consistently "sought to promote & enter into connections.". J. Lindroth