ABSTRACT
The Enlightenment was a cultural process that prioritised the sovereignty of reason and questioned traditional sources of authority. Historians speak of multiple Enlightenments of which the Scottish version is of particular note for understanding character formation. Specifically, in education two leading educational theorists of the Scottish Enlightenment ought to be mentioned: James Barclay who wrote a Treatise in Education in 1743 and David Fordyce who published Dialogues Concerning Education in 1745. The leaders of the Scottish Enlightenment saw themselves as ‘enlightened’ when contrasted with those who held orthodox religious faith, but they retained belief in the authority of revelation in the Bible and Church. Like Aristotle, Smith would have agreed that it is difficult to replace or supply the foundations of the family if it is absent. The goal was clearly to instil Protestant purity into the minds of young Scots and this constituted the background to all the prominent thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment.
