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" Off all the small nations of this earth, perhaps only the ancient Greeks surpass the Scots in their contribution to mankind. " The quote above is from a speech given by Winston Churchill. Was his statement accurate ? Well, it is not as "daft" as it sounds since the wee country of Scotland has produced an incredible array of deep thinkers, great writers/poets, innovative scientists, engineers, pioneers, explorers, missionaries and physicians. Only a few are shown below. Scottish Philosophers French
philosopher and writer, Voltaire, once noted that, "We look
to Scotland for all our ideas of civilization.” Scottish
Philosophers had an extensive influence on European thought during
the 18th and 19th centuries. The 18th century was an age when
almost every aspect of mankind's existence - philosophy, economics,
art, law, architecture, medicine, engineering - was studied and
questioned. It was also a time when Scotland's cities were "hotbeds
of genius", and Scotsmen such as the philosopher David Hume,
the economist Adam Smith, the chemist James Black, and the geologist
James Hutton developed their ideas and successfully challenged
the beliefs of the past. The Scottish Enlightenment stretched
roughly from 1740 to 1790. Scottish Scientists and Engineers Scots are famous for their ingenuity and their entrepreneurial flair. With a strong accent on scientific research, Scots have produced some of the most important inventions in history, including: the steam engine (James Watt), the telephone (Alexander Graham Bell), penicillin (Alexander Fleming), Fax transmission (Alexander Bain), Radar (Sir Robert Watson-Watt and Magnetic resonance imaging (John Mallard). Today that tradition continues with groundbreaking developments in a range of hi-tech sectors, including: biotechnology (cloning – The Roslin Institute), software (First computer strategy game ‘Lemmings’ – David Jones) and healthcare (beta-blockers – Nobel Laureate Sir James W. Black). Scots in North America Scots
have played a major part in the development of North America.
Sixty-one percent of US Presidents have had Scottish origins.
Nine of the thirteen governors of the newly created United States
of America were Scots. The Right Honourable Alexander Mackenzie Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona Scottish Writers Scots have produced a vast body of literature and prose. Here is a but a few of Scotland's great writers. Scottish Explorers and Pioneers in their field Scots have long been driven by an innate curiousity for distant lands and life's mysteries. Their stories as are varied as the landscapes they explored. Scottish Physicians Scottish physicians, past and present, are famed all over the world for their contributions to the progress of the healing arts. It is a history of pioneering to be proud of. |
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