Was the Modern World Invented by the Scots?

David Hume, Adam Smith, Sir Walter Scott, James Watt

Scots think so, and there is considerable evidence to back them up. The ideas and inventions that emerged from tiny Scotland in the 17^th and 18^th centuries are truly mind-boggling. Crucial contributions in philosophy, law, education, medicine, and commerce make a compelling argument for recognizing the Scots as shaping the modern world. Beginning in 1696, they formed  the first literate society by requiring public education so everyone could read the Bible. Thinkers like David Hume and Adam Smith colored modern cultural thought. Early émigré to the U.S. and minister John Witherspoon, whose students included James Madison and Aaron Burr, created the modern American university system. Witherspoon also helped develop the underlying philosophy of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution; in fact, one-third of the signers of the Declaration were also of Scottish ancestry. Sir Walter Scott created the historical novel. In science, William Hunter and Joseph Lister lend credence to the claim that Scotland invented modern medicine, while Lord Kelvin unified physics and James Maxwell discovered electromagnetism. Inventors like James Watt and John McAdam helped create modern transportation systems. Later émigrés to the U.S. such as Alexander Graham Bell and Andrew Carnegie helped create modern industry while John Muir was a visionary who foresaw the need to preserve the natural world. Scots also invented the bicycle, color photography, television, the refrigerator, and the flush toilet. The debts modern society owes to such a small, impoverished country are incredible.

John Witherspoon, Lord Kelvin, Joseph Lister, Alexander Graham Bell, Andrew Carnegie