What question did this study set out to answer?

This article aims to analyze the relationship between education and Enlightenment thought in Scotland, emphasizing utopian alternatives.

September 1, 2003

Education, Utopia and the Limits of Enlightenment

Key Points

This article aims to analyze the relationship between education and Enlightenment thought in Scotland, emphasizing utopian alternatives.
Critically examines the historical context of Scottish education and Enlightenment thought.
Analyzes the influence of utopian concepts from the Scottish Reformation on educational practices.
Finds that utopian themes challenge and renew Enlightenment educational ideals.
Highlights the tension between radical educational alternatives and mainstream Enlightenment consensus.

Abstract

In many recent explanations of the rise of modernity, Scotland has been cited as an illustration of the relationship between the growth of mass education and the influence of the Enlightenment faith in reason and progress. This article questions the prevailing account of the advance of education in Scotland by highlighting the impact upon it of utopian concepts of education and society from which Scottish Enlightenment thought recoiled. Originating in the radical theology of the Scottish Reformation, the utopian theme in Scottish culture has been a constant source of renewal and reproach, testing the limits of Enlightenment consensus and positing compelling alternatives to dominant educational practice.

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