The Essay - Enlightenment Voices - Smith/Hume - Part 2

Series exploring two major figures of the Scottish Enlightenment. Historian and novelist James Buchan looks back to Adam Smith and other great thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment, considering their interpretation of whether luxury was a motivating benefit for society. Medieval historians felt that luxury was a threat to the immortal soul. In the 18th century, philosophers moralised on how best to deal with the new commercial society.