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Chuir mi crìoch air an Litir an t-seachdain sa chaidh leis an t-seanfhacal cha mhiste sgeul math aithris dà uair. Tha an seanfhacal a cheart cho freagarrach an t-seachdain seo oir tha mi a’ tilleadh gu bhith a’ bruidhinn mu fhear air an do rinn mi cunntas ann an Litrichean dà cheud (200) agus dà cheud ’s a h-aon (201). Sin an Litir mhòr, seach an Litir Bheag. B’ esan am feallsanaiche agus eachdraiche Adhamh MacFhearghais. Bha e mar phàirt de Shoillseachadh na h-Alba – The Scottish Enlightenment. Thathar ga aithneachadh mar ‘Athair an Eòlais Shòisealta’.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Rugadh MacFhearghais ann an seachd ceud deug, fichead ’s a trì (1723) ann an Lag an Ràith ann an Siorrachd Pheairt. Bha Gàidhlig aige bhon ghlùin. Chaidh e a dh’Oilthigh Chill Rìmhinn. Bha e na leabharlannaiche do Roinn an Luchd-tagraidh, no Faculty of Advocates, ann an Dùn Èideann. Bha e na fhear-teagaisg prìobhaideach do mhic uaislean. Agus bha e na Phroifeasair de Fheallsanachd Mhoralta aig Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Carson a tha mi a’ bruidhinn air Adhamh MacFhearghais an-diugh? Uill, chaochail e ann an ochd ceud deug is sia-deug (1816), dà cheud bliadhna air ais.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Bha MacFhearghais ainmeil. Bha e na charaid aig Daibhidh Hume agus Adhamh Mac a’ Ghobhainn. Bha e eòlach air Voltaire. Sgrìobh e an earrann air ‘Eachdraidh’ anns an dàrna eagran de Encyclopaedia Britannica. Agus ’s ann san dachaigh aige a thachair Bhaltair Scott agus Raibeart Burns ri chèile.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Am measg nan rudan a sgrìobh e, bha aiste – An Essay on the History of Civil Society. Tha e furasta a lorg air an eadar-lìon.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Bha MacFhearghais na Chrìosdaidh agus na Chlèireach. Bha e a’ creidsinn ann an adhartas a’ chinne-daonna gu ruige foirfeachd – air a phiobrachadh le fèin-bhuannachd gach duine. Ach bha e dhen bheachd – leis gun tug Dia saor-thoil do mhac an duine – gum bi amannan ann nuair a tha comann mhic an duine a’ dol an deireadh. Bha bàs ÃŒmpireachd na Ròimhe na eisimpleir dheth sin. B’ fheàrr leam gun robh Adhamh MacFhearghais fhathast beò, agus cothrom aige a bheachdan a chur an cèill air Radio nan Gàidheal!

I finished the Litir last week with the proverb ‘it doesn’t harm to tell a good story twice’. The proverb is just as suitable this week because I’m returning to speaking about a man of whom I gave an account in Litrichean 200 and 201. That’s the big Litir, rather than the Litir Bheag. He was the philosopher and historian, Adam Ferguson. He was part of the Scottish Enlightenment. He is recognised as ‘The Father of Sociology’.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Ferguson was born in 1723 in Logierait in Perthshire. He was a native speaker of Gaelic. He went to St Andrews University. He was the librarian for the Faculty of Advocates in Edinburgh. He was a private teacher to sons of gentry. And he was the Professor of Moral Philosophy at Edinburgh University.

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ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Why I am speaking about Adam Ferguson today? Well, he died in 1816, two hundred years ago.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Ferguson was famous. He was a friend of David Hume and Adam Smith. He knew Voltaire. he wrote the seciton on ‘History’ in the second edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica. And it was in his house that Walter Scott and Robert Burns met each other.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Among the things he wrote was an essay – ‘An Essay on the History of Civil Society’. It’s easy to find on the internet.

ÌýÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýFerguson was a Christian and a Presbyterian. He believed in the advancement of humanity to perfection – driven by personal self-interest. But he was of the opinion – since God gave Man free will – that there will be times when human society goes backwards. The collapse of the Roman Empire was an example of that. I wish Adam Ferguson were still alive and able to express his opinions on Radio nan Gàidheal!