Papers on this page are, mainly, exercises in intellectual history or the history of ideas. (This is not to say that they set out to observe limits which the academic discipline of “intellectual history” frequently draws.) More specifically, the papers explore Scottish thought between roughly 1560 and 1776 – the “reformation-to-enlightenment” period.

‘George Davie: Common Sense, Hegelianism and Critique’ [published in Cencrastus (Autumn 1987)]

‘Scottish Common Sense Philosophy’ [published in Edinburgh Review No.87 (Winter 1991-1992)]

Speech Acts in the Scottish National Covenant of 1638, New Waverley Papers, Departments of Politics and Social Policy, University of Edinburgh, 2000-1

‘From Smithian Sympathy to Hegelian Recognition’ [paper given at the International Conference on Political Economy: Smith, University of Kocaeli, October 2009; published in Hakan Kapucu, Murat Aydin, Ismail Șiriner, Farhang Morady and Ümit Çetin (eds.) Politik Iktisat ve Adam Smith (Istanbul: Yön Yayinlari 2010)]

‘Scottish Political Theory: From Natural Law to Common Sense’ [paper given at the University of Istanbul, April 2010; published in Turkish translation (as ‘Iskoç Siyasal Teorisi: Doğal Hukuktan Sağduyuya’) in Kutadgubilig No. 23 (March 2013)] (Note: Although the website version of the paper refers to material not discussed in the initial presentation, the argument is the same.)

‘Sin, Scepticism and the Foundations of Scottish Political Theory’ [working paper presented at the Political Theory Research Group, School of Social and Political Studies, University of Edinburgh, January 2010]

‘Calvin and the Migration of Ideas’ [paper presented at the Political Theory Research Group, School of Social and Political Studies, University of Edinburgh, January 2011]

‘Adam Smith and Friends’ [paper presented at conference on ‘Themes from Adam Smith’ held in the School of Social and Political Studies, University of Edinburgh, October 2011]

‘Scepticism, Religion and Political Theory in the Scottish Enlightenment’ [paper presented at the Annual East Mediterranean Seminar for the Study of the Scottish Enlightenment, Zakynthos, June 2012; published online byFelsefe Gazetesi (www.felsefegazetesi.com) on 27 August 2013]

‘Common Sense – A Presentation’ [paper circulated as background for a talk at the Ragged University (www.ragged-online.com), Edinburgh, June 2013]

‘Notes on Rousseau and Smith’ (2013)

‘Introduction’ by Murdo Macdonald and Richard Gunn to George Davie The Democratic Intellect (Edinburgh University Press 2013)

‘Notes on Scottish Social Contract Theory’ (2013)

‘Hume on Melancholy, Scepticism and Back-gammon’ [published (in English and Turkish translation) in Felsefi Düsün Issue 2 (April 2014)]

‘Common Sense, Scottish Thought and Current Politics’ [published online by Bella Caledonia(bellacaledonia.org.uk) on 26 July 2014]

‘Adam Smith and Interaction – A Handout’ [revised version of handout circulated at Ragged University (www.ragged-online.com), Edinburgh, on 29 October 2015]