How the Scots Invented the Modern World

Why it’s on the list: Arthur Herman argues that the thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment pioneered the ideas of modernity — capitalism, democracy, science and individualism — that shaped the Western world.

Where I heard about it

• Charlie Munger — on his reading list in Poor Charlie’s Almanack, the books he recommended for building a latticework of multidisciplinary mental models.
• Charlie Kirk — on @j_bambrick’s compilation of every book Kirk recommended across his episodes and videos, September 2025.
• Dissident Teacher — on A Library to Build Great Americans, a 468-title curriculum published on Substack in December 2025, in the Ages 13-99+ band under History, under its UK title The Scottish Enlightenment: The Scots Invention of the Modern World.

Connections

• Poor Charlie’s Almanack — surfaced on Charlie Munger’s recommended-reading list.
• A Library to Build Great Americans — the December 2025 curriculum that lists this book under its UK title, in the Ages 13-99+ band.
• Born Fighting — James Webb on the same population after emigration, listed a few rows away on that list.