Ferguson's Scottish Contexts: Life, Ideas, and Interlocutors
Ferguson's Scottish Contexts: Life, Ideas, and Interlocutors
This chapter presents a reading of Adam Ferguson's political thoughts in Scottish contexts. It suggests that it was Ferguson's idea of human nature that led him to reject any form of government which does not guarantee freedom for political participation. He believed that the freedom of a state should be measured by the number of participants in politics, decision-makers as well as public actors and civil servants. While this is less than democratic, it was pointedly republican and uncompromisingly participationist.
Keywords: Adam Ferguson, political thought, human nature, political participation, republicanism, participationism
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