Scotland in the eighteenth century was a centre of Enlightenment thought and culture, with the four universities in the country able to produce many more scholars than their English counterparts. The Professor of Logic at Marischal College, Aberdeen, James Beattie rose to fame for his 1771essay on truth and common sense, On the Mutability of Truth, which was a response to David Hume's own arguments in favour of scepticism. This 1777 work is a collection of Beattie's essays containing, in addition to the essay on truth; essays on poetry, laughter and the importance of receiving a classical education.