Although Gershom Carmichael was regarded by his contemporaries and immediate successors as a figure of importance in the natural law tradition, his works have fallen into obscurity, primarily because they were written in Latin. Carmichael was a teacher and writer who played an important role in the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century, not least by bringing the works of Grotius, Pufendorf, and Locke to the attention of his students and his readers throughout Europe.

Although Gershom Carmichael was regarded by his contemporaries and immediate successors as a figure of importance in the natural law tradition, his works have fallen into obscurity, primarily because they were written in Latin. Carmichael was a teacher and writer who played an important role in the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century, not least by bringing the works of Grotius, Pufendorf, and Locke to the attention of his students and his readers throughout Europe.