Elements of Moral Philosophy: with a Brief Account of the Nature, Progress & Origin of Philosophy

Though little known today, David Fordyce was one of the leading figures of the outburst of intellectual activity that culminated in the Scottish Enlightenment. His Elements of Moral Philosophy was one of the most widely circulated texts in moral philosophy in the second half of the eighteenth century. Apart from a very expensive facsimile edition, there has never been a modern edition of The Elements of Moral Philosophy. Moreover, the lectures in A Brief Account have never before been published. The significance of The Elements is evidenced by the fact that it was the principal work in the curriculum in moral philosophy throughout the second half of the eighteenth century. It was also included practically verbatim in the first edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

About the Author :
David Fordyce (1711-1751) was one of the central figures of the Scottish Enlightenment. Fordyce was a teacher, and his lectures on A Brief Account of the Nature, Progress, and Origin of Philosophy are published here for the first time.

Review :
". . . the Elementsreflects much of the work that typifies the Scottish effort to found a moral science in the early Scottish Enlightenment. Consequently, this volume might usefully be put into the hands of students on the trail of enlightened moral philosophy."

Eighteenth-Century Scotland


"First written in eighteenth century, The Elements of Moral Philosophy by David Fordyce is a dramatic text embodying man's moral facilities, social obligations, human duty to God, and much more. A profound writing that has passed the test of centuries to offer relevant wisdom in the field of philosophy, this new edition is edited and features an introduction by Thomas D. Kennedy (Associate Professor of Philosophy, Valparaiso University). The Elements of Moral Philosophy is a core addition to Philosophy Studies reference collections."

The Midwest Book Review
April 2003

"Kennedy (philosophy, Valparaiso U.) presents Scottish philosopher and theologian Fordyce's (1711-51) treatise, which first appeared as an independent publication in 1754. He has altered the text very little, only to correct obvious printer's errors, and has added notes to clarify references. This volume collects Fordyce's (1711-1751) "home-textbook" series of essays detailing his moral theory. A brief introduction by Thomas Kennedy (philosophy, Valparaiso University) sketches the events of Fordyce's life and briefly assesses the value of his work."

Reference & Research Book News
August 2003

The Liberty Fund continues to do valuable service to eighteenth-century Scottish studies with its series on "Natural Law and Enlightenment Classics" under the general editorship of Knud Haakonssen. This volume satisfies our need for an accessible, modern edition of David Fordyce's Elements. Fordyce was an educator. He served as professor of moral philosophy at his alma mater, Marischal College, Aberdeen from 1742 to 1751; the Elements published posthumously in 1754, became a popular textbook in moral philosophy. As such, it was a work of synthesis, reflecting a philosophical outlook associated with fellow Aberdonians George Turnbull and Thomas Reid, heavily influenced by Francis Hutcheson and the third earl of Shaftesbury, and broadly inspired by a reverence for the likes of Francis Bacon and Isaac Newton. Thus, the Elements reflects much of the work that typifies the Scottish effort to found a moral science in the early Scottish Enlightenment. Consequently, this volume might usefully be put into the hands of students on the trail of enlightened moral philosophy. The inclusion of the Brief Account of the Nature, Progress and Origin of Philosophy, apparently lecture material introducing Fordyce's course in moral philosophy, opens up that intellectual world a bit further, and is here published for the first time.

Scholars interested in the dissemination of Scottish moral thought will appreciate the Introduction, in which Thomas Kennedy briefly and judiciously reminds us that history has been less than fair to Fordyce and his Elements. Although he is little remembered today, generations of students in American universities were educated in moral philosophy through the Elements, which likewise appeared in French and German editions. This work also continued to appear into the nineteenth century in its original form--as a volume in Robert Dodsley's The Preceptor, first published in 1748--and a substantial portion of it also served in the 1771 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, under the entry, "Moral Philosophy, or Morals". (p. xvi). Kennedy is certainly justified in arguing that Fordyce has been unjustly forgotten.

The editing is uniformly strong. The typescript has been modernized, while other eighteenth-century idioms, including punctuation, spelling, capitalization, marginal notes, and text in italics, follow the 1754 edition. Fordyce's notes have been retained and expanded, and are also supplemented by the editor's own explanatory notes, corrections, and translations of Greek terms. The scope of these editorial additions is modest but helpful, and a useful index is also included. In short, this is an accessible, affordable, and highly serviceable edition of an important eighteenth-century text. It is also an attractive volume; the binding for the paperback edition appears worthy of the content, and the cover is appropriately graced with an image of old Marischal College. It is typically fine work from the Liberty Fund.

B. Barnett Cochran, Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Eighteenth-Century Scotland
Spring 2004