Turtles' Lair

Historical Background:

After the incorporating union of 1707 and the battle of Culloden moor, Scottish philosophers formed a new highly influential middle class in the United Kingdom which decided the popular thought of the following centuries. In part a reaction to the mentioned events, the Scottish enlightenment philosophers set out to rethink social cohesion and what makes a society—and as a base for two opposing modes of thought stood Hobbes and Pufendorf. Hobbes broke the traditional view of Natural Law while Pufendorf defended Natural Law. In the end, Hobbes successfully influenced the debate of the 18th century and informed the following centuries in Europe.( Read more... )