The Scottish Enlightenment was a period of feverish intellectual and scientific progress, in a country previously considered to be marginal to the European intellectual scene. Yet the enlightenment was not about politeness or civic humanism, but something more basic - the making of a society which could compete in every way in a rapidly changing world. During a career spanning almost half a century, Professor Roger L. Emerson has studied the intellectual, social and scientific history of the eighteenth century. In this volume, Professor Emerson presents previously unpublished material on the Scottish enlightenment, setting it within its European context and particularly considering the grass roots experiences of Scots. This provocative volume provides a useful opportunity to step back and reconsider the Scottish Enlightenment in its broader context and to consider what new directions this field of study might take.