The Scottish Enlightenment’s reflection on Mixed Government
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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63277/gsc.v20i.4972Abstract
The virtues of theory and practice of the “mixed government” have been widely analysed by modern and contemporary political thought. However from this point of view, it is opportune to underline the contribution, too-little analysed, given in such direction by that surprising group of social and political thinkers who gave birth to the Scottish Enlightenment. At first sight, indeed, a scarce interest for the idea of the Mixed Government and of the Mixed Constitution, which was given a great emphasis in Great Britain, surfaces from Scottish Enlightenment context. This essay has the aim instead of demonstrating the perfect tuning between this theory and the approach of the social sciences, as they are developed in Scotland in this particular period. In such a case, figures of the calibre of David Hume, Adam Smith, Adam Ferguson and John Millar by many recognised as the founding fathers of modern social sciences stand out. Special attention is paid to Hume who, with his “science of man” tries to provide a scientifically detached explanation of the development and functioning of political institutions. This leads Hume to perceive the development of the British form of the Mixed Government as a specific aspect of the wider and more articulated social phenomenon.
