Postgraduate Course: The 'Science of Man' in the Scottish Enlightenment (PGHC11203)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Postgraduate (School of History and Classics) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | The investigation of human nature, or 'Science of Man' (which included the Science of Women) occupied a central place in the Scottish Enlightenment. At the beginning of his Treatise on Human Nature in 1739 David Hume, for example, declared that 'all the sciences have a relation, greater or less, to human nature' and '[t]here is no question of importance, whose decision is not compriz'd in the science of man'. Hume was not alone among his contemporaries in emphasizing the importance of understanding 'man', and the aim of this course is to examine the main currents of thought in the Scottish Enlightenment with Hume's extraordinary claim in mind. The Scots' interest in human nature extended across several intellectual 'disciplines' and the course will focus on several areas of learning, in which these debates played a significant role. These are moral philosophy, religion, medicine, and historiography. The course will consider the ways in which the natural passions or 'sentiments' of human nature became an integral to moral philosophy and the understanding of the motives of moral action. It will examine the implications of different views of human nature for disputes over religious belief. It will also focus on changing interpretations of human nature in medicine, the increasing interest in sensibility and the 'nervous system' and its importance for the interpretation of disease. Finally, it will consider the degree to which the Scottish Enlightenment historicized human nature and stressed the extent to which it was related to the context of the particular historical society in which it was located. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
The course aims:
- to develop an advanced understanding of one of the central concerns of the Scottish Enlightenment, the study of human nature;
- to explore the connections between this study of human nature and other areas of intellectual inquiry in the Scottish Enlightenment;
- to reflect on the character of boundaries between intellectual 'disciplines' in the Enlightenment,
- to explore the relationship of these debates to their particular social, institutional, and political contexts.
It is expected that students who successfully complete the course will:
- have acquired an advanced ability to interpret texts from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds in the Enlightenment.
- have developed an ability to present complex ideas in a reasoned and articulate manner, in written and in verbal forms;
- have improved their skills in the analysis and evaluation of historical evidence, especially textual evidence.
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Assessment Information
| One essay of 3000 words. |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Science Man Scottish Enlightenment |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Thomas Ahnert
Tel: (0131 6)50 3777
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Lindsay Scott
Tel: (0131 6)50 9948
Email: |
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