The Moral Culture of the Scottish Enlightenment

the long version

In the Enlightenment it was often argued that moral conduct was the true measure of religious belief. Thomas Ahnert argues that this 'enlightened' emphasis on conduct in religion relied less on arguments from reason alone than has been believed. In fact, Scottish Enlightenment champions advocated a practical programme of 'moral culture', in which revealed religion was of central importance. Tracing this to theological controversies going back as far as the Reformation, he presents a new point of departure for scholars interested in the intersection of religion and Enlightenment.