A philosopher and historian, Adam Ferguson occupies a unique place within eighteenth-century Scottish thought. Distinguished by a moral and historical bent, his work is framed within a teleological outlook that upholds the importance of action and virtue.
Eugene Heath is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the State University of New York at New Paltz, where he has taught since 1993. He received his Ph.D. from Yale University and his B.A. from Davidson College. A recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, University of Edinburgh, his interests include business ethics, social and political philosophy, and eighteenth-century British moral philosophy. His scholarly essays have appeared in the Journal of the History of Philosophy, Philosophy of the Social Sciences, Political Theory, History of Philosophy Quarterly, and Hume Studies.