Theories of Resentment and Civilisation from Perspectives of Butler and Lord Kames

This chapter aims to demonstrateCivilisation how Joseph Butler’s theory of resentmentResentment and perceptions of civilised societyCivilised society helped contribute to the concepts proposed by Lord Kames. Kames, a patron of Adam Smith[aut]Smith, Adam, was considered an influential figure among Scottish EnlightenmentEnlightenment thinkers. According to biographical accounts, Kames and Butler were good friends. This chapter presents the succession of ideas between Butler and Kames regarding the concept of resentmentResentment and perceptions of a civilised societyCivilised society. Butler established that people’s concept of resentment changed in line with the transition from barbarism to civilisationCivilisation. Kames expanded on Butler’s suggestions by describing how criminal lawCriminal law was created and developed, with the resentment of the victim as the central concept. He acknowledged Butler’s argument that with the establishment of the governmentGovernment system, people’s resentment was restrained as they moved to a civilised societyCivilised society. Correspondingly, this chapter discusses the relationship between Butler and Kames from the concept of resentment, which has not drawn significant research attention so far.