James Beattie : selected philosophical writings

Resource Information

The work James Beattie : selected philosophical writings represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in San Francisco Public Library. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.

Label

James Beattie : selected philosophical writings

Title remainder

selected philosophical writings

Creator

• Beattie, James, 1735-1803

Contributor

• hoopla digital

Subject

• Electronic books
• Philosophy, Scottish -- 18th century

Language

eng

Summary

James Beattie (1735-1803) was appointed professor of moral philosophy and logic at Marischal College, Aberdeen, Scotland at the age of twenty-five. Though more fond of poetry than philosophy, he became part of the Scottish 'Common Sense' school of philosophy that included Thomas Reid and George Campbell. In 1770 Beattie published the work for which he is best known, An Essay on Truth, an abrasive attack on 'modern scepticism' in general, and on David Hume in particular, subsequently and despite Beattie's attack, Scotland's most famous philosopher. The Essay was a great success, earning its author an honorary degree from Oxford and an audience with George III. Samuel Johnson declared in 1772 that 'We all love Beattie'. Hume, on the other hand, described the Essay as 'a horrible large lie in octavo', and dismissed its author as a 'bigotted silly Fellow'. Although Beattie is no match for Hume as a philosopher, the success of the Essay suggests that, unlike Hume, Beattie voices the characteristic assumptions, and anxieties, of his age. The first part of this selection-the first ever made from Beattie's prose writings-includes several key chapters from the Essay on Truth, along with extracts from all of Beattie's other works on moral philosophy. The topics treated include memory, the existence of God, the nature of virtue, and slavery. The second part of the selection is devoted to Beattie's contributions to literary criticism and aesthetics

Cataloging source

Midwest

Dewey number

192

Index

no index present

Literary form

non fiction

Nature of contents

dictionaries

Series statement

Library of Scottish philosophy

Series volume

v. 6

Target audience

adult