Arthur Herman, How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe’s Poorest Nation Created Our World and Everything in It (aff). New York: Three Rivers Press, 2001. 472 pages.
I have related before that my three adult children, my son-in-law, and I have a book club. We pick an interesting book to read and then discuss it over lunch. This book is our most recent selection. It was published in 2001, but we thought it would be an interesting read and a good chance to look at history (my favorite!). As a history buff, I found this book quite interesting. I think you might too.
Arthur Herman is a history professor at George Mason University and Georgetown University. His style is interesting and upbeat, unlike some history professors! He begins the book by pointing out that in 1700, Scotland may well have been Europe’s poorest independent country (Ireland may have been poorer, but it wasn’t independent). As late as 1800, Scotland’s population was only two million.
His thesis is that many of the ideas that ultimately formed the bedrock of the modern West came out of Scotland. While countries such as England, France, or Germany might mount a strong case against this claim, to say nothing of Greece and Rome, Herman offers a compelling argument. I will not attempt to summarize his entire 472-page case; I will simply highlight a few of his points that struck me as I read.
Herman starts by narrating the public hanging of eighteen-year-old Thomas Aikenhead on charges of blasphemy (2). For Herman, this event was a turning point in Scotland’s pre-modern history. In the preceding period, the Presbyterian Calvinists under John Knox had overturned the Catholic influence over the nation and sought to create a holy people that God would bless as a nation. The Kirk of Scotland had developed strict rules that involved policing behavior, such as working on Sundays, and executing witches. He notes that Aikenhead’s execution was “The last hurrah of Scotland’s Calvinistic ayatollahs” (10).
Despite its shortcomings, Herman notes that the Presbyterian church system developed the most democratic church government in all of Europe (19). George Buchanan wrote the seminal work The Law of Government Among the Scots, which claimed God had invested power in the people, and they had the right to throw out any government that did not please them (18). It was the Scots who first challenged King Charles I, ultimately winning concessions from him. This victory encouraged the English to oppose and ultimately behead him. Herman concludes, “A new political ideal, that of government of the people with the consent of the governed, had arrived. But it took its original impetus from the Scottish Coventeers” (21). Herman argues that the deeply democratic system of church governance among the Scottish Presbyterians laid the foundation for democratic principles throughout western Europe.
In 1696, the Scots passed the Act for Setting Schools (22). This legislation provided for a public school in every parish in Scotland. Herman concludes, “Scotland became Europe’s first modern literate nation” (23). He adds, “In no European nation did education count for so much or enjoy so broad a base” (25). These developments would ultimately propel Scotland to the forefront of European advancement.
When James I became king of England, many of the impoverished Scottish nobles came to his English court seeking favors. Herman suggests this incident is where the derogatory caricature of penny-pinching Scots came from (29). In 1707, the Scottish parliament voted for the Act of Union, which united Scotland and England. The union eliminated Scotland’s political autonomy, but it placed them in a position to benefit from England’s economy and international influence. In the long run, Scotland’s parliament had not done much to benefit the nation, while joining with England would enrich and enhance many areas of Scottish life. Herman makes the case that the Scots ultimately joined their English cousins and began to dominate many fields in which they entered.
Herman contends that the Scots invented the modern view of history as something that progresses (11). He also argues that the Scots invented the modern social sciences (63). The Scots always took a highly pragmatic approach to science and history, focusing on people and how they developed.
Francis Hutcheson has been called the Founding Father of the Scottish Enlightenment (65). He led the University at Glasgow for many years and cultivated many of Scotland’s leading intellectual lights. He argued that people are fundamentally good, and they are motivated by their pursuit of happiness. Herman calls him “Europe’s first Liberal in the classic sense” (83). A second major influence was Lord Kames, who dominated the University of Edinburgh. He mentored such luminaries as David Hume and Adam Smith. Kame developed a four-fold stage of history that became extremely influential and inspired Edward Gibbon’s classic work, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Kame developed a unique approach to the law that differed from England’s. Whereas England focused on precedent, Scottish law focused on reason (87). Kame argued that society functions on the basis of property and its desire to protect its property (96). Both Hucheson and Kame were deeply influential in the ideas that influenced the founding of the American nation.
Herman describes the Highland Clan’s last pitch battle at Culloden under Prince Charles that ended in disaster (153). After that revolt in 1745, Scottish culture exploded with growth. Robert and James Adam revolutionized architecture (180ff). Adam Smith revolutionized the understanding of economics (189). David Hume, according to Herman, became modernity’s first great philosopher (199). Hume argued that liberty was good, but it needed a counterweight to keep people’s passions in check (203). Hume believed that reason ought to be the slave of passions (199). Hume also believed that, contrary to popular opinion, a large land mass might be easier to control than a smaller nation. James Madison would latch on to this theory in developing a system to govern the massive expanse of the United States.
Adam Smith wrote his Wealth of Nations with the American revolution in the backdrop (226). He believed consumption was the driving force of production (219). He acknowledged that capitalism would lead to disparities in wealth but argued that it was better to be a poor man in a rich nation than a rich man in a poor nation (213). In his view, even those with less wealth would benefit from living in a nation that provided goods and services as well as safety.
Herman lists numerous inventions and developments in thought and technology that emerged from the Scottish Enlightenment. He demonstrates that many of our modern ideas were at least influenced by Scottish thought.
Herman also demonstrates how greatly the Scots impacted other nations such as Canada, the United States, and Australia as they immigrated around the world. He claims that the log cabin, a staple on the American frontier, was a Scottish invention (234). Herman also notes that it was the Scots, hungry for land and willing to fight and die for it, that blazed the trail on the American frontier. North Carolina was virtually a second Scotland. Words such as “whare” for where, “thar” for there, “critter” for creature, “widder” for widow, and “nekkid” for naked entered into the American backwoods vernacular. Even the term “fixin” came from the Scots! (234). The concept of “rednecks” was a Scottish term referring to Presbyterians (235). “Blackmail” was a Scottish Highlands term. Numerous American leaders were Scottish, including presidents Andrew Jackson, James Polk, and Rutherford Hayes. Patrick Henry, James Calhoun, Daniel Boon, Jim Bowie, Winfield Scott, and William Clark were also Scottish (394).
The Tennants were influential Presbyterians who played a huge role in the First Great Awakening as well as in the establishment of Princeton University. John Witherspoon was brought over from Scotland to lead Princeton and had an enormous influence on American political leaders such as James Madison and Aaron Burr. Herman notes that Scots provided the backbone of the revolutionary army under Washington (251). Herman quotes David Hume as saying to Benjamin Franklin, “I am an American in my principles . . . and wish we would let (them) alone to govern or misgovern themselves as they think proper” (255).
Thomas Reid was another Scottish philosopher who greatly influenced the American Founding Fathers (261). He developed a “Common Sense” philosophy that found its way into the American founding articles, such as its “self-evident” truths.
Numerous other Scots exerted a great influence upon the world at large. Sir Walter Scott popularized the Scottish culture as well as the historic novel. Robert Burns became Scotland’s favorite poet. Robert Louis Stevenson became a popular international author. James Watt popularized and developed the steam engine.
The Scottish approach to medicine differed largely from that of the English. Scots were far more “hands on” and experimental, developing many of the modern medical practices of today. Doctors Richard Bright, Thomas Addison, and Thomas Hodgkin all had diseases they discovered named after them (327). Dr. Samuel Smiles wrote, Self Help, a wildly popular book that first coined the phrase, “God helps those who help themselves” (342). Benjamin Disraeli claimed that he could go nowhere in the British Empire without finding a Scot and that Scot being in the lead in that region (347).
The Hudson Bay Company, which became a massive company covering an enormous land mass, was led by Scots (362). Of the ten founding fathers of Canada, eight were Scots, including the first Prime Minister, John A. Macdonald (308). Scots also played an enormous role in the settlement and development of Australia. David Livingston, who opened up Africa, was a Scot. Samuel Morse, who invented Morse Code, was a Scot (399). Alexander Graham Bell was a Scot (400). Andrew Carnegie, who became the world’s wealthiest tycoon, was a Scot (404). Arthur Conan Doyle and James Barrie, author of Peter Pan, were Scots (416). James Bond was based on a Scot, while Sean Connery, the most famous Bond, was Scottish as well (419).
I like history, so this book resonated with me. But I believe any reader can find a wealth of information and insight in this book. It is always fascinating to see how ideas have the power to transform entire societies and their culture. It is also interesting to see the impact one person can have on a nation or the world. It is encouraging to see how a poor country can be transformed into one that impacts the world for good. I think most of us have witnessed the Scottish culture of influence in one form or another, yet it was interesting to learn the names of so many famous Scots. I, for one, like to know how we got where we are. Things don’t just happen. History develops, and the decisions and actions of people who lived hundreds of years ago have a significant impact on the world I experience each day.
Herman’s claim that the Scots invented the modern world is bold. Yet, through this book, it is clear that they had an important part in developing the modern world and, indeed, played a role far larger than their nation’s wealth or size might have suggested.
I recommend this book. History can be fascinating and thought provoking when it is written well. And this book is.
Rating: 3
