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Similarities Between Nationalism And The Scottish Enlightenment

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Introduction The topic of nationalism and identity is often debated in society. Could identity be formed by race? Is being patriotic the same as having a national identity? This paper seeks to answer these questions by looking at the Scottish Enlightenment and how it was influential in shaping the development of nationalism. The Scottish Enlightenment The term Scottish Enlightenment was coined to describe the great flourishing of Scottish literature and ideas in the eighteen century ( (Towsey, 2010) . Trevor –Roper and Duncan Forbes described the Scottish enlightenment as an intellectual movement that evolves from the abrupt encounter of the backward Scotland with modern England. (Broadie, 2003) They may be justified in their thoughts because the Scottish enlightenment was indeed a movement; however that movement didn’t occur overnight. In the early seventeen century Scotland was mired with superstition and religious tolerance. …show more content…

The Scottish enlightenment was built on few thoughts and ideas; Smith viewed society as based on free trade and the division of labour. Similarly nationalism is also about freedom; freedom of choice by the people to identify or associate with what is happening in society. With division of labour the working class is controlled by the elites and so they are always the decision makers. In terms of nationalism and identity the elites are still also in charge of the society. Despite its similarity, it is clear to see that the debate of nationalism is forever evolving as does the society which we live in. There would be intellect who would challenge what we now know and maybe they themselves come up with different theories in regards to national identity. Is it individually fueled of as a nation? One thing is certain is that nationalism would forever be part of our ever growing

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When Thomas Jefferson wrote that we were ‘dissolving the bands’ between Britain and the United States, he was putting into practice the political philosophies born from centuries of people being mistreated and ignored by tyrants, and stating unalienable rights given by God. The free-thinking sparked by The Enlightenment and The Great Awakening helped change society’s thinking about the power of government and people’s own power over political, religious and personal freedoms.[1] This all culminated in a bloody family feud, and two separate but equal nations. The Enlightenment was an intellectual and philosophical movement that dominated Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries.

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The American identity has evolved over time. During the 1700’s, the Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, occurred. It spread rapidly across Europe, and then to North America. This revolutionary way of thinking was crucial to the development of the American identity. The Enlightenment was the period for cultivation of science and human reason.

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The Enlightenment was a European intellectual movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries emphasizing reason and individualism rather than tradition. By the early 1700s, European thinkers believed that nothing was beyond the reach of the human mind. The Scientific Revolution of the 1500s and the 1600s had transformed the way people in Europe looked at the world. The Scientific Revolution caused reformers to begin studying human behaviors and try to solve the problems of society. This new surge of learning led to another revolution in thinking known as the Enlightenment.

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Throughout my academic journey, I strived to excel academically and through extracurriculars. Throughout high school, I consistently strived for and achieved top academic performance, getting all A’s in each one of my classes. As a result, I maintained a 4.3 GPA and due to that, I ranked in the top 5 percent of my graduating class of 328 students. Not only was I able to uphold topmost academic achievements and successes, I also participated in many clubs in high school. During my sophomore year of high school, I was a part of Key Club, an organization specifically designed for high school students that operates under the guidance of student leaders.

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In Scotland’s case, the population was largely disheartened following the aforementioned 1979 devolution referendum and appointment of Thatcher. Regarding the “1979 devolution debacle”, Scotland had momentarily surrendered their fight for a national identity and accepted to remain part of the United Kingdom, which cultivated a feeling within Scotland that the citizens “had no voice.” (Welsh and Peddie 133) Although the “exasperation with politics” was evident, there was a greater issue with identity as reflected in Welsh’s text, Trainspotting (Welsh and Peddie 132). Specifically, Renton’s preceding colonization rant is enough to corroborate this phenomenon, however he also remarks, “Ah’ve never felt British, because ah’m not… Ah’ve never really felt Scottish either.”

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“God, who has given the world to men in common, has also given them reason to make use of it to the best advantage of life and convenience” (Locke, 35). The Scientific Revolution concentrated on understanding the physical world through astronomical and mathematical calculations, or testable knowledge. The Enlightenment focused more on “Spreading of faith in reason and in universal rights and laws” (Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, 535). While the Scientific Revolution preceded the Enlightenment, both time periods sought to limit and challenge the power of the Church, through the spread of science, reason and intellect, and political philosophies. The Scientific Revolution began with Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1542) and Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) wanting to understand the movement of the planets beyond what they authorities had told them.

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