City of Light
Out of all the nations and cities touched by the Enlightenment – that period in the late 17th century and early 18th century when the world intellectually stepped out of the ‘dark’ Middle Ages – one was particularly transformative. ‘Auld Reekie’, the affectionate name for Edinburgh, referred to the smokiness and stench of a city known for its overpopulation, festering loch and air pollution. Like a phoenix from the flames, Edinburgh arose anew during this period to become one of the leading lights of the Enlightenment movement. The French philosopher Voltaire himself said “We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation”.
The poster boys of Scotland’s scientific and cultural revolution included philosopher David Hume, geologist James Hutton, architect Robert Adam, chemist Joseph Black and economist Adam Smith, as well as creatives Henry Raeburn and Robert Burns, and engineers such as James Watt. Many considered
