Henry Home Lord Kames Scottish barrister, jurist, philosopher, writer and innovative agronomist Country: Great Britain

Biography of Lord Kames Henry Home

Lord Kames Henry Home, a Scottish lawyer, philosopher, writer, and agricultural innovator, was one of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment. He was a founding member of the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh and an active member of the intellectual society 'Select Society'. Notable figures such as James Boswell, David Hume, and Adam Smith were among his proteges.

Early Life and Education
Born in the Kames House, between the villages of Eccles and Birgham, Berwickshire, Henry Home received his education from a private tutor. He studied law in Edinburgh and obtained his license to practice as an advocate in 1724. As a lawyer, Home earned a good reputation and published several works on civil and Scottish laws, establishing himself as one of the leaders of the Scottish Enlightenment.

Legal Career and Contribution
In 1752, Home was appointed as a judge, thus earning the title of Lord. He was a member of the judicial panel in the case of African slave Joseph Knight, who had been sold to Scottish slave owner John Wedderburn in Jamaica. In 1772, England began to question the legality of slavery. Knight, assuming that slavery was now unlawful throughout the rest of Britain, demanded wages from his owner. Eventually, Knight fled, was captured by Wedderburn, and the case made its way to the Court of Session by 1777. James Boswell and Samuel Johnson declared that "no man is naturally the property of another." As there was no evidence that Knight had willingly given up his natural freedom, he was to be set free.

Contributions to Society
Lord Kames wrote extensively about the importance of society. In his essay 'Essay Upon Several Subjects Concerning British Antiquities', written soon after the Jacobite uprising in 1745, he argued that Scottish politics, as claimed by the Jacobites, were not based on loyalty to the king and queen. Instead, they rested on royal land grants given in exchange for loyalty. In another work, 'Historical Law Tracts', and later in 'Sketches on the History of Man', Home described human history, highlighting four main stages. The first stage was that of hunters-gatherers, followed by shepherds, who needed to form larger societies. These two stages did not involve any laws, aside from those dictated by family or society leaders. The third stage, with the development of agriculture, required closer cooperation and new relationships for trade or hired labor (or slavery). Home argued that the "close union of many persons, excited by agriculture," necessitated a new set of rights and obligations in society. This gave rise to the birth of new laws and those who enforced them. Finally, the fourth stage saw the transition from villages and peasant farms to seaports and urban markets, resulting in even more complex laws and increased benefits.

Beliefs and Intellectual Discourse
Lord Kames witnessed all these stages in Scotland, with its pasture lands for cattle and mountainous terrain suitable for agriculture, its lowlands dedicated to industry, and cultural cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh with their growing commerce. He was a polygenist, believing that God created different races on earth in different regions. In his book 'Sketches on the History of Man' published in 1734, he argued that environmental factors, climate, or societal conditions could not explain racial differences. He believed that races should be considered as distinct species.

Lord Kames had a penchant for intellectual discussions. Throughout his life, he nurtured a large number of like-minded individuals, including John Home, David Hume, and James Boswell. He also engaged in debates with Lord Monboddo, although the latter often vehemently disagreed with Kames' opinions.