He makes his case well. Since the Enlightenment, which took a distinctive flavor in Scotland as opposed to the continental version, Scots have led or participated in much of the good and evil perpetuated by English-speaking peoples on the rest of the world, even when the language they spoke was hardly recognizable as English. They led in thought, word, and deed the development of western culture and spread it . . . pretty much everywhere. James Watt patented radical improvements to the steam engine – a design that powered the Industrial Revolution.

How The Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How The Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of

During a school exchange to McCook, Nebraska, in the early 90s, my wife was asked whether they had television in Scotland. ‘We invented it,’ she frowned. Admittedly at the time this was somewhat disingenuous, since Nebraska even then had dozens of channels whereas Scotland had four (all of which were regularly interrupted by the fateful words ‘…except for viewers in Scotland’), but still, the point was made. Radar was developed by Robert Watson-Watt and helped turn the tide against the Nazis in the Battle of Britain – a pivotal moment in modern history. Historian Arthur Herman has written a comprehensive and well-detailed account of the many ways that notable Scots have had a special influence on world events. Not only is there a ton of information here, but it's written with a skilled and fascinating narrative that holds the reader's attention and interest. In many places, its a work of history that reads like a novel. So many historical fields are covered -- politics, medicine, philosophy, science, and literature, to name a few. Not content with inventing the telephone, Scotland also discovered electromagnetism which is the basis for mobile phones and wi-fi.I am a Scotsman,” Sir Walter Scott famously wrote, “therefore I had to fight my way into the world.” So did any number of his compatriots over a period of just a few centuries, leaving their native country and traveling to every continent, carving out livelihoods and bringing ideas of freedom, self-reliance, moral discipline, and technological mastery with them, among other key assumptions of what historian Arthur Herman calls the “Scottish mentality.”

How the Scots Invented the Modern World - Arthur Herman How the Scots Invented the Modern World - Arthur Herman

How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World & Everything in It (or The Scottish Enlightenment: The Scots invention of the Modern World) is a non-fiction book written by American historian Arthur Herman. The book examines the origins of the Scottish Enlightenment and what impact it had on the modern world. Herman focuses principally on individuals, presenting their biographies in the context of their individual fields and also in terms of the theme of Scottish contributions to the world. The Scots were heavily involved in the British Empire too. They helped to change social problems around the world. My favorite in this section was Charles Napier who, as governor of Sind in India, banned the practice of sutee, (burning a widow on her husband’s funeral pyre). When the local Brahmin priests protested that this was interfering with an important national custom, Napier replied, “My nation also has a custom. When men burn women alive, we hang them. Let us all act according to national custom.” Herman, Arthur (2014). The Cave and the Light: Plato Versus Aristotle, and the Struggle for the Soul of Western Civilization. ISBN 978-0553385663. The chapter on the great scientists and inventors of the Scottish Enlightenment is amazing. In this chapter you will learn about James Watt, the inventor of the steam engine. Watt is a man who is so confident in his brilliance and productivity that he agreed to build an organ for a church before he knew anything about organs or music. However, Watt displayed that his confidence was indeed rational, as he learned everything he needed to know to successfully build the organ by the original deadline. Herman's book tells an exciting story with gusto . . . its range and narrative verve make it an entertaining and illuminating read." -- Sunday Times (London)a b Kemp, Arnold (January 20, 2002). "From the school of hard Knox to masters of the world". The Observer. London. p.E5 . Retrieved September 1, 2009. Herman gave quite a bit of space to David Livingstone, the missionary to Africa, who also happened to study chemistry with a classmate, Lord Kelvin!

How the Scots Invented the Modern World - Wikipedia

It was both exciting and fulfilling to read the history that led up to the Battle of Culloden and beyond, to meet the historical figures and read the family names from her books in the context of the history she drew on.The point of this book is that being Scottish turns out to be more than just a matter of nationality or place of origin or clan or even culture. It is also a state of mind, a way of viewing the world and our place in it. . . . This is the story of how the Scots created the basic idea of modernity. It will show how that idea transformed their own culture and society in the eighteenth century, and how they carried it with them wherever they went. Obviously, the Scots did not do everything by themselves: other nations—Germans, French, English, Italians, Russians, and many others—have their place in the making of the modern world. But it is the Scots more than anyone else who have created the lens through which we see the final product. When we gaze out on a contemporary world shaped by technology, capitalism, and modern democracy, and struggle to find our place as individuals in it, we are in effect viewing the world as the Scots did. . . . The story of Scotland in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries is one of hard-earned triumph and heart-rending tragedy, spilled blood and ruined lives, as well as of great achievement.” I always thought "Scotch-Irish" was a generic Celtic people-group. Well, no. Scottish settled in Ulster, Northern Ireland, beginning in 1610. Somewhat like Germans in Russia. The Scotch-Irish tended to be evangelical Presbyterians who were key figures in America's War for Independence.* The Scots from Scotland tended to side with Britain and eventually moved to Canada after the war finished. In this book, you will also learn about many other great thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment. This includes Lord Kames, who wrote extensively on the importance of property and trade to allow societies to flourish. This also includes the pioneering economist Adam Smith, whose 'Wealth of Nations' became the first great work of capitalism. The Viking Heart: How Scandinavians Conquered the World, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021 ISBN 978-1328595904 Most Scottish people are familiar with the poem, Wha's Like Us, which lists many Scottish inventions and innovations. Link here : http://www.aboutaberdeen.com/whaslike...