The Luxury Debate in Eighteenth-Century Scotland Luxury was a core debate topic in the Scottish Enlightenment. Not only was it an economical phenomenon, but also a central moral and political issue of modernity. Scotland was going through a transition period, from becoming a poor part of Great Britain to a major world influence. Scotland was moving from its traditional Presbyterian ways of private and public virtue to a world of commerce, modernism, and industry. There was so much risk, so much apprehension. In a country with a history of poor wealth, Scotland, like any country, just wanted what would be best for its future and was hesitant to do anything harmful. The concept of luxury was at the core of debates throughout the Scottish Enlightenment …show more content…
He believed that certain products, such as tampons, should have a higher tax because they are a luxury. 212 As Saint Lambert presented it, luxury was not merely an economic phenomenon, but the central and political issue of modernity. Even in new luxury, there was debate, such as Mandeville and Smith, sceptical of benevolence as a human capacity. For Mandeville, benevolent behaviour was hypocritical and serves a passion, such as pride. Mandeville declared luxury as a benefit to the public, providing economic advantage. Luxury consumption promotes employment, industry, and thought trade increased national wealth. All it would take was strong politicians who turned their self-interests into something that would promote the common good. Mandeville believed that people had to choose between morality and economics. For Adam Smith, the maxim of consumption was the ‘sole end and purpose of production.’ Higher wages would increase spending money among citizens, motivating people to work more and more efficiently. He distinguished luxury as analytical terms as physical objects such as pictures and furniture, separated from retainers such as a nice table, dogs, and such (Berg, p. 13). Smith thought that human benevolence was needed for social order and established humans to have an incentive for economic improvement. To maintain productivity in the work force, labour wages should be kept at a minimum to keep the corrupt influence of luxury from getting to work