Adam Ferguson

Adam Ferguson (1723 to 1816) was a Scottish philosopher and historian of the Scottish Enlightenment, sometimes called the father of modern sociology. Born at Logierait in Perthshire, the son of a minister, he studied at Edinburgh and St Andrews, served as chaplain to the Black Watch, and then succeeded David Hume as librarian of the Faculty of Advocates. In 1759 he became professor of natural philosophy at Edinburgh and in 1764 moved to the chair of moral philosophy, which he held until 1785. His best-known work is the Essay on the History of Civil Society (1767), and his lectures were published in 1792 as Principles of Moral and Political Science. He admired the courage and loyalty of traditional societies and criticized commercial society for making people weak and unconcerned for their community.