大象传媒

Ann an seachd-deug, seasgad 鈥檚 a seachd (1767), sgr矛obh Adhamh Fearghasdan 鈥渁iste鈥�, no leabhar ma tha sinn gu bhith f矛rinneach, a rinn ainmeil e. 鈥橲 e an tiotal a bh鈥� air A History of Civil Society. Anns an leabhar, thug Fearghasdan s霉il air mar a bha s矛obhaltachd air atharrachadh tro eachdraidh is mar a bha sin air tachairt mar leasachadh n脿darrach, gun a bhith na amas aig mac an duine.

Aig an 脿m sin, cha robh Fearghasdan air m貌ran siubhail a dh猫anamh ann an d霉thchannan eile, ach leugh e aithrisean-siubhail aig feadhainn eile, agus bha e dhen bheachd gu robh m貌ran anns a鈥� chumantas, mar eisimpleir, eadar s矛obhaltachd nan seann Ghaideal, nan Innseanach Ruadha ann an Aimeireagaidh agus nan seann Ghreugach.

Thug e bheachd air ealain is litreachas, air mar a tha an aimsir a鈥� toirt buaidh air modhan sluaigh, agus air a鈥� ch脿irdeas eadar meudachd sluaigh agus beartas d霉thcha. Agus thug e rabhadh seachad. Thuirt e gum faodadh d霉thaich a spiorad a chall, agus gun leigeadh sin le gnothaichean poileataiceach na d霉thcha dhol bhuaithe.

Am measg an fheadhainn a leugh A History of Civil Society, agus a dh鈥檌onnsaich m貌ran bhuaithe, bha Karl Marx. Bha aire Mharx air a tharraing leis na sgr矛obh Fearghasdan mu dheidhinn na droch bhuaidh a tha na diofar 矛rean ann an coimhearsnachd choimearsalta a鈥� toirt air daoine, gu h-脿raidh an fheadhainn aig na h-矛rean as 矛sle. Bha Fearghasdan a鈥� sgr矛obhadh fada mus robh guth air coimiunachd.

鈥橲 e rud eile inntinneach a thachair co-cheangailte ri Fearghasdan gur ann anns an taigh aige a thachair Bhaltair Scott ri Raibeart Burns 鈥� an aon turas a thachair an dithis ri ch猫ile. Cha robh Scott ach 貌g aig an 脿m.

Anns na seachdadan dhen ochdamh linn deug, chuir Fearghasdan seachad 霉ine ann an Geneva agus sgr矛obh e aiste, a鈥� c脿ineadh propaganda nan Aimeireaganach a bha ag iarraidh neo-eisimeileachd airson nan t矛rean Breatannach ann an Aimeireagaidh a Tuath. An uair sin chaidh ainmeachadh mar fear de na coimiseanairean a dh鈥檉heuchadh ri fuasgladh a lorg don eas-aonta eadar Riaghaltas Bhreatainn agus na h-Aimeireaganaich.

Ann an seachd-deug, ochdad 鈥檚 a h-aon (1781) ghabh e str貌c. D脿 bhliadhna as d猫idh sin sgr矛obh e leabhar air Eachdraidh na Poblachd R貌manaich. Agus ann an seachd-deug, ochdad 鈥檚 a c貌ig, leig e dheth a dhreuchd mar Phroifeasair na Feallsanachd Moralta. Ach cha robh e d矛omhain. Dh鈥檉hoillsich e leabhar ann an d脿 ph脿irt anns an robh m貌ran de na gliocas a bh鈥� air a bhith anns na h-貌raidean aige aig an oilthigh.

Ann an seachd-deug, naochad 鈥檚 a tr矛, aig aois seachdad, dh鈥檉halbh e air turas m貌r don Roinn E貌rpa, agus thadhail e air an R貌imh. Bha cothrom aige na h-脿iteachan air an do sgr矛obh e ann an Eachdraidh na Poblachd R貌manaich fhaicinn dha fh猫in.

Bha fhathast fichead bliadhna aige de shaoghal agus am measg nan 脿iteachan anns an do dh鈥檉huirich e bha na P霉ballan agus Cill R矛mhinn. Chaochail e ann an ochd-deug is sia-deug (1816). Na sheann aois, sgr矛obh e m貌ran aistidhean air feallsanachd is gnothaichean moralta.

An-diugh tha daoine e貌lach air Adhamh Fearghasdan mar 鈥淎thair an E貌lais-sh貌isealta鈥� agus is cinnteach gu robh e na dhuine cli霉iteach aig 脿m nuair a bha 脿ite m貌r aig Alba ann an d霉sgadh ghnothaichean inntinn anns an Roinn E貌rpa.

Ach bu toigh leam fios a bhith agam air beachd Fhearghasdain fh猫in air an dualchas aige mar Ghaidheal. Mas urrainn dhuibh mo chuideachadh le fiosrachadh air a sin, bhithinn uabhasach toilichte cluinntinn bhuaibh. Beannachd leibh an-dr脿sta.

Faclan na seachdaine: aiste: essay; f矛rinneach: truthful; m貌ran siubhail: much travel; coimhearsnachd choimearsalta: commercial society; a鈥� c脿ineadh: criticizing; neo-eisimeileachd: independence; eas-aonta: disagreement; Feallsanachd N脿darrach: Natural Philosophy; Feallsanachd Moralta: Moral Philosophy; na P霉ballan: Peebles; Cill R矛mhinn: St Andrews;

Abairtean na seachdaine: mar a bha s矛obhaltachd air atharrachadh tro eachdraidh: how civilization had changed through history; mar leasachadh n脿darrach: as a natural development; gun a bhith na amas aig mac an duine: without being a product of human design (a human aim); gu robh m貌ran anns a鈥� chumantas: that there was much in common; thug e bheachd air ealain is litreachas: he gave his opinion on arts and literature; mar a tha an aimsir a鈥� toirt buaidh air modhan sluaigh: how the climate affects a people鈥檚 manners; an c脿irdeas eadar meudachd sluaigh agus beartas d霉thcha: the relationship between population size and the wealth of a nation; fada mus robh guth air coimiunachd: long before communism was heard of; ghabh e str貌c: he suffered a stroke; thadhail e air an R貌imh: he visited Rome; bha fhathast fichead bliadhna aige de shaoghal: he still had twenty years of his life; na sheann aois: in his old age; athair an e貌lais-sh貌isealta: the father of sociology; d霉sgadh ghnothaichean inntinn: waking of intellectualism (the Scottish Enlightenment); bhithinn toilichte cluinntinn bhuaibh: I would be pleased to hear from you.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: There are two uses in the Litir this week for the prepositional pronoun bhuaithe (from him/it [masc]) which I mentioned in Litir 189 on January 31 this year. This could be a difficult word to deal with if you do not have a good dictionary for some do not mention it. Thankfully the newest one (the Gaelic-English Dictionary by Colin Mark) does, and also explains idiomatic uses. The second incidence in the Litir, agus a dh鈥檌onnsaich m貌ran bhuaithe (who learned a lot from it) is fairly straightforward, but the second, gun leigeadh sin le gnothaichean poileataiceach na d霉thcha dhol bhuaithe, is a more idiomatic use. A鈥� dol bhuaithe means declining, going downhill, getting in a bad state, so that the meaning of the phrase is 鈥渢hat that would let political matters [in the country] deteriorate.鈥� Note that it does not matter whether we area dealing with masculine or feminine objects 鈥� the word is always the masculine, bhuaithe. If things are steadily and relentlessly getting worse, you might say to somebody, 鈥淭ha iad a鈥� s矛or dhol bhuaithe.鈥� Hopefully, it鈥檚 not a phrase you would use too often!

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: Mas urrainn dhuibh mo chuideachadh le fiosrachadh: if you can (are able to) help me with information.