num_pages: 322
description: Adam Ferguson's Essay on the History of Civil Society (first published in 1767) is a classic of the Scottish--and European--Enlightenment. Drawing on such diverse sources as classical authors and contemporary travel literature, Ferguson combines a subtle analysis of modern commercial society with a critique of its abandonment of civic and communal virtues. Central themes in Ferguson's theory of citizenship are conflict, play, political participation and military valor. The Essay is a bold and novel attempt to reclaim the tradition of active citizenship in the modern state.
language: English
title: An Essay on the History of Civil Society
titlecomplete: An Essay on the History of Civil Society
genres: Sociology, History, Society, Economics, Philosophy, Essays, Politics, Nonfiction
ratings_count: 53
publisher: Cambridge University Press