William Smellie and Enlightenment Anti-Anthropocentrism

This article examines the anti-anthropocentric views of the eighteenth-century Scottish natural philosopher William Smellie, in particular in comparison with the predominant anthropocentric ethic of the human mastery of nature more common during the Enlightenment. Smellie’s views on this issue, and their importance for understanding some key aspects of eighteenth-century cosmology, are outlined, as is also their relevance for understanding the history of modern anthropocentrism in general.