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Home , Alison Cockburn, James Hutton

A BRILLIANCE THAT RADIATES 300 YEARS ON During the middle of the 18th century an intellectual revolution took place in that still has resonance and impact today

WORDS: Stewart McRobert

16 | DISCOVER | SUMMER 2019 he Scottish Enlightenment It coincides with a meeting of the was an outburst of ideas International Society for Eighteenth- covering an array of Century Studies which takes place in disciplines, from and in July. engineering to architecture, This sees 1,500 academics from A BRILLIANCE philosophy, medicine, around the world discuss the wider Age Teconomics and the law. They were of Enlightenment, which encompasses developed by people whose thoughts and developments in Europe and the United achievements are still celebrated around States. As part of this congress, the the world – , , Library is undertaking a joint event with , James Hutton, James Watt the Society and has commissioned THAT RADIATES and many others. work by postgraduate students who will A major National Library of Scotland further explore Library collections that exhibition – Northern Lights, beginning relate to the Scottish Enlightenment. on 21 June and running through to One of those curating the main April 2020 – celebrates the Scottish exhibition, Ralph McLean, Manuscripts 300 YEARS ON Enlightenment and its key figures. Curator (Long 18th-Century Collections),

FIGURES OF HISTORY: From left: David Hume, Robert Burns, Adam Smith and James Watt

SUMMER 2019 | DISCOVER | 17 SCOTTISH ENLIGHTENMENT

revealed that the Library has been observed: “Here I stand at what is the was vital. They include Alison Cockburn. collecting material relating to the Scottish Cross of Edinburgh, and can, in a few She was a literary hostess and writer – Enlightenment since the movement was minutes, take 50 men of genius and her version of the Scots song The Flowers in progress. learning by the hand.” of the Forest was played at the funeral of Indeed, the Faculty of Advocates The Scottish Enlightenment’s most Queen Victoria. Library – predecessor to the National renowned figures, and their interconnections, Cockburn was great friends with Library of Scotland – was at the heart of underpin the exhibition. David Hume, William Robertson and the Scottish Enlightenment. However, there is space to other Scottish Enlightenment figures. “We have significant collections related acknowledge individuals who have been Often they would meet at her house in to important individuals, including the overshadowed but whose contribution Edinburgh to socialise and exchange world’s biggest collection of David Hume ideas. And she wrote back and forth manuscripts, thanks in part to the Hume to these individuals, again passing on Papers on deposit from the Royal Society The Scottish thoughts and notions. of Edinburgh,” said Ralph. “There are Cockburn’s position as one of the few extensive papers from figures such as Enlightenment’s women associated with the Scottish Lord Monboddo and Lord Hailes, who both most renowned Enlightenment highlights its male held the post of curator at the Faculty of domination. At that time, the professions Advocates Library. And, of course, we still figures, and their most closely associated with the actively seek to add to our collections.” Enlightenment – the law, the clergy and On occasion, it can be easy to overlook interconnections, university professorship – refused entry Scotland’s contribution to the Age of to women. Enlightenment. However, at the time underpin the They could gain entry to some clubs the country was seen as a hotbed of exhibition. and societies, and were always welcome intellectual fervour and achievement. to accompany men to the theatre or John Amyatt, an Englishman who concerts, but there were no widespread would be appointed the King’s Chemist, opportunities to take part in intellectual

LEARNING EXPERIENCE: The exhibition features a wide array of material

18 | DISCOVER | SUMMER 2019 or scientific activity. More positively, Curators Ralph McLean and Robert Betteridge although there has been a tendency to Below: James Hutton associate the Scottish Enlightenment with Edinburgh and its professional classes, the movement wasn’t restricted to those strata of society or one location. Robert Betteridge, Rare Books Curator (18th-Century Printed Collections), is also curator of the exhibition. He said: “The Scottish Enlightenment took place in many different places where ideas could be proposed, debated, and assessed by the Scottish citizenry. These included universities, churches, debating societies, salons, libraries, and laboratories, to clubs, coffee shops, taverns, town houses, and printer’s workshops. “These forums were not exclusive to the middle classes and landed gentry. In fact, Robert Burns helped establish a debating society in Tarbolton in 1780. On a very local level people were discussing ideas with the same passion as those sitting in metropolitan clubs.”

HIGHLIGHTS with his own thoughts, particularly The exhibition content is drawn from ’The of Religion’. It’s a Library collections, including printed fascinating insight into their relationship books, manuscripts, and maps. Ralph and the ideas that were being discussed picked one highlight – an unpublished passionately.” letter written by Hume in 1755 that was purchased by the Library only in 2018. DEPTH AND BREADTH “It’s written to the Reverend Robert The exhibition showcases the depth Traill, a minister in Aberdeen who would and breadth of Scottish Enlightenment go on to become a member of the city’s achievements. For example, it illustrates Wise Club, a nickname for the Aberdeen how James Hutton became the effective Philosophical Society,” said Ralph. founder of modern geology and “The letter is a response transformed thoughts about the age of the to Traill who had by studying rocks in , Arran, criticised Hume’s Edinburgh and elsewhere in Scotland. scepticism and attacks Similarly, James Watt may be more on the clergy. Hume associated with the industrial revolution writes that he enjoyed but worked at the University of Glasgow Trail’s arguments but where he attended open clubs and was couldn’t agree. treasures Robert highlighted was the involved in literary and scientific debates. “Traill’s response to copy of Hume’s book, Four Dissertations Ralph said the exhibition provides rare Hume’s letter is on the from the collection of Sir David opportunities: “It represents a chance to see same sheet. It’s notable Dalrymple, Lord Hailes. a huge amount of material that you don’t that both men write in a Robert said: “Hailes was a often get to see in one place. civil, friendly and warm tone, contemporary of Hume, but they had a “Visitors can find out more about a high especially since at that time difficult relationship. A pious Christian, point in Scottish history and a movement Hume was being denounced Hailes was another who did not that made a substantial impact across as a heretic by hard-line appreciate Hume’s scepticism.” the world.” elements in the Church The book’s physical condition reveals He believes the people of the Scottish of Scotland.” that it was not destined to take pride Enlightenment did not set out to cause a Ralph believes that the need of place on the shelves of Dalrymple’s revolution. They simply had the freedom, for civil discourse is one of the home. It has not been properly bound licence, attitude and conditions that main messages of the exhibition. and some pages remain unseparated and allowed them to put forward new ideas “Today, too many people become in the same condition they came from that would be discussed and argued over. entrenched in particular positions, the printer. As a result, they came up with refusing to expose themselves Robert added: “Although Hailes has thoughts that were fresh, new and to different viewpoints, opinions completely ignored some sections ground-breaking – and shine as brightly and ideas.” Meanwhile, one of the of the book he has annotated others today as they did nearly 300 years ago.

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Seven sections of sparkling thought

The Northern Lights exhibition is earned international reputations for tourists such as and made up of seven sections, each their works on Scotland, England, to embark on tours illuminating a different aspect of Spain, America, and India. of the Highlands. William Smellie the Scottish Enlightenment. brought together the Encyclopaedia AND MEDICINE Britannica, a physical manifestation THE ROOTS OF THE SCOTTISH Colin MacLaurin was of the eclectic knowledge gained ENLIGHTENMENT the most important during the Enlightenment. Some people say Scotland was a mathematician Philosophers such as Lord feudal backwater until Union with in Britain since Monboddo and George Campbell England in 1707. Others believe the Newton and did wrote on the history and roots of the Scottish Enlightenment much to promote development of language, helping to were established in the late Newtonian ideas. create the study of comparative 17th century through the foundation James Hutton Colin MacLaurin linguistics. The exhibition of institutions such as the Faculty greatly enhanced explores the complex of Advocates Library and the the study of geology, while relationship Scots had with Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh; James Watt laid foundations for the their own language, and how Lord education Acts, and the education of industrial revolution to build on. In the Scottish Enlightenment Monboddo Scots at continental universities. medicine, Edinburgh became the was expressed through Scots, world’s premier destination to study English, Latin and Gaelic. PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION and work under figures such as the Adam Smith, David Hume and Monro family and William Cullen. SOCIABILITY AND SOCIETY all made Clubs and societies were hubs for significant contributions ART AND ARCHITECTURE enlightened discussion and Scotland to the understanding Scots who made major contributions had a multitude of them at all levels of of human nature. ‘The to the world of literary aesthetics society. Women, who were excluded Science of Man’, to and artistic judgment include Francis from the universities, could join some use Hume’s phrase, Hutcheson, who wrote the first major clubs to make their own contribution sought to explain the work in English on aesthetics. Key to Enlightenment discourse. Clubs actions, behaviours, and figures such as Gavin Hamilton, Allan could be held in grand surroundings, Thomas Reid functions of humankind Ramsay and used attended by the cream of society, or and dominated intellectual the philosophical concepts of the they could take place in small, dark discourse in Scotland. Enlightenment in their own art to rooms in taverns and pubs, but Unlike its European counterparts, examine personalities and many with the common the Scottish Enlightenment was, in present the science of goal of improvement. many respects, driven by members man in artistic form. The National of the Church, rather than as Robert and James Library of Scotland a reaction against it. However, Adam gained is built into the there was a tension between the an international fabric of the Moderate and Evangelical factions. reputation for Scottish The exhibition addresses these James Adam their architectural Enlightenment tensions, and examines David Hume’s works that are still through its sceptical philosophy, which raised visible around Scotland and history as the awkward questions for the Church. other parts of Britain. Architecture is Faculty of especially important to the Edinburgh Advocates Library. SOCIAL SCIENCE AND story of the Scottish Enlightenment, Many of the great ACADEMIC INNOVATION particularly in relation to the creation figures of the Scottish The Scottish Enlightenment of the city’s New Town. Enlightenment including helped create and establish many Hume, Lord Monboddo, Lord Kames, theories and disciplines that are LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE Thomas Ruddiman and recognisable in the 21st century, There was an incredible range of Adam Ferguson worked such as sociology, political economy, Scottish literary achievements there during their geology, anthropology and literary in the 18th century generated careers. The Library’s criticism. The exhibition investigates by writers like Allan Ramsay, collections were the formation of these Robert Fergusson, and Robert heavily used by the concepts. Meanwhile, Burns. The poems of Ossian lawyers, philosophers, historians like William (supposedly written by the historians, and others William Robertson Robertson 3rd century bard) swept to produce their and David Hume across Europe and encouraged Enlightenment works.

Robert 20 | DISCOVER | SUMMER 2019 Burns