Origins of sociology: the case of the Scottish Enlightenment.

The article presents information on the origins of sociology with reference to a movement called the Scottish Enlightenment, the period of intellectual ferment in Scotland from 1740 to 1800. Historians of sociology believe that sociology emerged as an autonomous and disciplined science. The movement classifies societies as savage, barbaric and polished in terms of their prevailing mode of production. The Scots analyzed the nature and the growth of social institutions. Scholar Adam Ferguson was the first writer who understood the economic consequences of the division of labor.