Several reviewers found that Herman was successful in proving that Scots did have a disproportionate impact on modernity. In addition to these more modern items, Scots have been at the forefront of radical change in the arts, philosophy, architecture, politics, and religion for almost as long as recorded history. I did feel that at points, particularly in the latter half of the book, Herman was stretching his argument a bit.

Scottish Tradition Vol.27 2002 - University of Guelph Scottish Tradition Vol.27 2002 - University of Guelph

Herman examines the lives and work of these and many more eminent Scots, capably defending his thesis and arguing, with both skill and good cheer, that the Scots “have by and large made the world a better place rather than a worse place. My favorite was: John McAdam figured out a cheap and efficient way to build a sturdy road bed out of crushed rock. According to Herman, the United States of America probably wouldn't exist without the Scots, and Ulster Scots ("Scotch Irish"). Admittedly at the time this was somewhat disingenuous, since Nebraska even then had dozens of channels whereas Scotland had four (all of which were regularly interrupted by the fateful words ‘…except for viewers in Scotland’), but still, the point was made. But as historian and author Arthur Herman demonstrates, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Scotland earned the respect of the rest of the world for its crucial contributions to science, philosophy, literature, education, medicine, commerce, and politics—contributions that have formed and nurtured the modern West ever since.

Radar was developed by Robert Watson-Watt and helped turn the tide against the Nazis in the Battle of Britain – a pivotal moment in modern history. The Scottish Enlightenment was more practical and aligned with common sense than was the Enlightenment of the French philosophes. Scottish trade and industry were constricted by the policies of England, their more powerful neighbor to the south. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Herman taught at Sewanee: The University of the South, George Mason University, Georgetown and The Catholic University of America.

How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story…

As Herman admits (page 278), "an important secret in publishing, that information is made more memorable when it is tinged with bias. He shows how Lowland Scotland, what we would now think of as the Central Belt, was much more in tune with its English partners, particularly as the two main cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh began to reap major economic benefits from access to the Empire. Good thing is that it is jam-packed with multiple events and inventions that brought in Industrial revolution and many other changes, which indeed made our world what it is today, more or less.The rest of the first section of the book is taken up with a wide-ranging history of eighteenth century Scotland. It permitted business to choose its location, like in cities close to inexpensive labor, and it was Scots who rectified negative impacts industry had, i. from the Highland clans of Sutherland and Lindsay) It gave me a desire to be better and accomplish more than I have.