Origin of the Distinction of Ranks

The Origin of the Distinction of Ranks is one ofthe major products of the Scottish Enlightenment anda masterpiece of jurisprudence and social theory. Building on David Hume, Adam Smith, and theirrespective natural histories of man, John Millardeveloped a progressive account of the nature ofauthority in society by analyzing changes in subsistence,agriculture, arts, and manufacture. The Origin of theDistinction of Ranks is perhaps the most precise andcompact development of the abiding themes of the liberalwing of the Scottish Enlightenment.Drawing on Smiths four-stages theory of history andthe natural laws traditional division of domestic dutiesinto those toward servants, children, and women, Millarprovides a rich historical analysis of the ways in whichprogressive economic change transforms the nature ofauthority. In particular, he argues that, with the progressof arts and manufacture, authority tends to become lessviolent and concentrated, and ranks tend to diversify. Millars analysis of this historical progress is nuancedand sophisticated, for example, his discussion of servantsis perhaps the best developed of the economicarguments against slavery.John Millar (17351801) explored, through his works, the nature of English governance through a prism of thenatural law tradition and Scottish philosophical history. Millar was a student of Adam Smithsat Glasgow University and his most important immediate intellectual heir. His works provide anessential linkage to Smith.Aaron Garrett is AssociateProfessor of Philosophy at BostonUniversity.Knud Haakonssen is Professor ofIntellectual History and Director of the Centre for Intellectual History at the University of Sussex, England.