1723-1816, Scottish philosopher and
historian. He was professor of philosophy at the Univ. of Edinburgh
(1759-85). His Essay on the History of Civil Society (1767)
criticized earlier theories of a state of nature; it was an important
contribution to intellectual history and influenced Hegel. In his Principles
of Moral and Political Science (1792), Ferguson advanced the principle
of perfection and attempted to reconcile self-interest and universal
benevolence.
See David Kettler, The Social and Political Thought of Adam Ferguson
(1965); Malcolm Jack, Corruption and Progress: The 18th-Century Debate
(1989).
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