Scottish Philosophy After the Enlightenment - (Edinburgh Studies in Scottish Philosophy) by Gordon Graham (Paperback)

About the Book

Highlights the continued flourishing of Scottish philosophy after the Enlightenment by exploring the work of underappreciated figures (such as Alexander Bain, J. F. Ferrier, Thomas Carlyle and John Macmurray) and debates (such as realism vs idealism; metaphysics vs psychology; evolution vs religion; and theism vs agnosticism).

Book Synopsis

Beginning with Sir William Hamilton's revitalisation of philosophy in Scotland in the 1830s, Gordon Graham takes up the theme of George Davie's The Democratic Intellect and explores a century of debates surrounding the identity and continuity of the Scottish philosophical tradition. Graham identifies a host of once-prominent but now neglected thinkers - such as Alexander Bain, J. F. Ferrier, Thomas Carlyle, Alexander Campbell Fraser, John Tulloch, Henry Jones, Henry Calderwood, David Ritchie and Andrew Seth Pringle-Pattison - whose reactions to Hume and Reid stimulated new currents of ideas. He concludes by considering the relation between the Scottish philosophical tradition and the 20th-century philosopher John Macmurray.

From the Back Cover

Highlights the continued flourishing of Scottish philosophy after the Enlightenment by exploring the work of underappreciated figures and themes Beginning with Sir William Hamilton's revitalization of philosophy in Scotland in the 1830s, this book takes up the theme of George Davie's The Democratic Intellect and explores a century of debates surrounding the identity and continuity of the Scottish philosophical tradition. Alexander Bain, J F Ferrier, Thomas Carlyle, Alexander Campbell Fraser, John Tulloch, Henry Jones, Henry Calderwood, David Ritchie, and Andrew Seth Pringle-Pattison are among the once prominent, but now neglected thinkers whose reactions to Hume and Reid stimulated new currents of ideas. Graham concludes by considering the relation between the Scottish philosophical tradition and the twentieth-century philosopher John Macmurray. Gordon Graham has taught philosophy at the University of St Andrews, University of Aberdeen and Princeton University. He was the founding editor of the Journal of Scottish Philosophy and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Review Quotes

Gordon Graham has played a significant role in the promotion and development of the history of Scottish Philosophy. Therefore, a collection of his essays on 19th Century Scottish Philosophy that demonstrates the complexity and interest of this period is very welcome.

--Jennifer J Keefe, University of Wisconsin-Parkside

Graham has given us an important book, written in a clear and accessible style, vigorous in its analysis, and convincing in its interpretations. The breadth of coverage is impressive, and while Graham's approach is one of text-based analysis, he provides attention to the larger cultural and religious context.

--Stewart J. Brown "Scottish Church History"

In every respect this book is a far more careful consideration of Scottish Philosophy after the Enlightenment than its forerunners. James McCosh, Henry Laurie, and George Davie all sketched versions of the history of this period, but none of them really focussed on the ideas in as clear-eyed a fashion as Gordon Graham.

--Craig Smith "British Journal of the History of Philosophy"

Graham has given us an important book, written in a clear and accessible style, vigorous in its analysis, and convincing in its interpretations. The breadth of coverage is impressive, and while Graham's approach is one of text-based analysis, he provides attention to the larger cultural and religious context.--Stewart J. Brown "Scottish Church History"

About the Author

Gordon Graham is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and the Arts at Princeton Theological Seminary, USA and is Director of Edinburgh Sacred Art Foundation. He is the author of over 13 books and multiple journal articles. His most recent publications include Philosophy, Art and Religion: Understanding Faith and Creativity (Cambridge University Press, 2017) and Scottish Philosophy in the 19th and 20th Centuries (Oxford University Press, 2015). He was editor of the Journal of Scottish Philosophy for many years.He has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh since 1999.