In Our Time: Philosophy

The Enlightenment in Scotland


Listen Later

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century. In 1696 the Edinburgh student, Thomas Aitkenhead, claimed theology was "a rhapsody of feigned and ill invented nonsense". He was hanged for his trouble - just one victim of a repressive religious society called the Scottish Kirk. Yet within 60 years Scotland was transformed by the ideas sweeping the continent in what we call the Enlightenment. This Scottish Enlightenment emerged on a broad front. From philosophy to farming it championed empiricism, questioned religion and debated reason. It was crowned by the philosophical brilliance of David Hume and by Adam Smith – the father of modern economics. But what led to this ‘Scottish Miracle’, was it an indigenous phenomenon or did it depend on influence from abroad? It profoundly influenced the American revolutionaries and the British Empire, but what legacy does it have for Scotland today?With Professor Tom Devine, Director of the Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Aberdeen; Karen O’Brien, Reader in English and American Literature at the University of Warwick; Alexander Broadie, Professor of Logic and Rhetoric at the University of Glasgow.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

In Our Time: PhilosophyBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

825 ratings


More shows like In Our Time: Philosophy

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,413 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,856 Listeners

F1: Chequered Flag by BBC Radio 5 Live

F1: Chequered Flag

790 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,813 Listeners

Arts & Ideas by BBC Radio 4

Arts & Ideas

286 Listeners

Philosophy Bites by Edmonds and Warburton

Philosophy Bites

1,527 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

312 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,776 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,065 Listeners

The Forum by BBC World Service

The Forum

273 Listeners

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast by Mark Linsenmayer, Wes Alwan, Seth Paskin, Dylan Casey

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

2,080 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,076 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,055 Listeners

History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps by Peter Adamson

History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps

1,583 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,891 Listeners

In Our Time: Culture by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Culture

586 Listeners

In Our Time: Science by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Science

713 Listeners

In Our Time: Religion by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Religion

276 Listeners

The LRB Podcast by The London Review of Books

The LRB Podcast

292 Listeners

Philosophize This! by Stephen West

Philosophize This!

14,969 Listeners

Philosophy For Our Times by IAI

Philosophy For Our Times

308 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

762 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,034 Listeners

Theory & Philosophy by David Guignion

Theory & Philosophy

338 Listeners