Elements of the Philosophy of History

Poet, Presbyterian minister and man of letters, John Logan (1748-1788) was one of the more versatile thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment. His "Elements" provides a summary of Scottish ideas on the progress of society, just as his brief "Dissertation on the Governments, Manners, and Spirit of Asia" demonstrates the harsh Eurocentrism which those ideas could somethimes generate. Both works are here reprinted for the first time since their original publication.