ABSTRACT
Adam Ferguson was a Scottish philosopher and historian, and the son of a minister. He wrote several works on political economy and ethics, often drawing on classical works and travel literature to reflect on a human nature where ‘fellow feeling’ was the key human characteristic. His Essay on the History of Civil Society offers a history of the human race and the development of political systems, as well as their downfall. He argues that the happiness of the nation is produced through its system of government, but that the latter needs to be adapted to the characteristics of the people. Peace and unanimity are commonly considered as the principal foundations of public felicity; yet the rivalship of separate communities, and the agitations of a free people, are the principles of political life, and the school of men.
