Millar John

Millar John

(1735-1801) SCOTTISH ENLIGHTENMENT thinker and protosociologist, especially remembered for his The Origin of the Distinction of Ranks (1771). It was a distinctive feature of Millar's approach that he emphasized the importance of understanding the DIVISION OF LABOUR, and forms of subsistence and forms of property, in understanding social relations in general. For all this, most commentators regard his work as remaining in the tradition of ‘moral philosophy’ rather than ushering in a fully fledged sociological perspective.