An Essay on the History of Civil Society. ...

This is a rare or used book from the Berkelouw Rare Books Department.

London: Printed for A. Millar and T. Cadell ...1768. 8vo. Orig. full polished calf. Spine slightly rubbed. (viii 464pp.). An attractive copy of an important treatise generally regarded as the first English work in an empirical sociology. NOTE: Ferguson (1723-1816) professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and leader of the Scottish Enlightenment describes the stages of social evolution. Marx credited him with being the first in modern times to develop the theory of the division of labour in economy and society and Gumplowicz the advocate of the conflict theory of society described the essay as 'the first natural history of society' and Ferguson himself as 'the first sociologist'.