David Hume and the Aberdeen Philosophers - (Edinburgh Studies in Scottish Philosophy) by Gordon Graham (Hardcover)

About the Book

Rediscovers David Hume's contemporary critics to systematically investigate the merits of Thomas Reid, George Campbell, Alexander Gerard and James Beattie.

Book Synopsis

David Hume is the most famous philosopher of the Scottish Enlightenment. Yet his prominence in the history of philosophy has had the unhappy effect of overshadowing some of the most insightful critics amongst his contemporaries. This book aims to restore the philosophical credentials of a remarkable set of eighteenth-century philosophers based in Aberdeen's two university colleges. In their own time, Thomas Reid, George Campbell, Alexander Gerard and James Beattie provided compelling counters to the intellectual dominance of Hume's Edinburgh. Though they are now largely neglected, all four prove to be philosophers of striking critical acumen. Their work can still cast fresh light on Hume's influential contribution to the enduring philosophical questions of morality, religion, aesthetics and politics.

Review Quotes

This lively and informative book by a leading scholar of the Scottish Enlightenment performs a valuable service to all students of the history of philosophy by inviting us to reassess - or to assess for the first time - the true merits of four of Hume's most challenging critics.--Don Garrett, New York University

Gordon Graham's David Hume and the Aberdeen Philosophers explores Hume's intellectual exchanges with his Aberdeen critics. This engaging study deepens our understanding of Hume's reception in his own time, the rich philosophical diversity of the Scottish Enlightenment, and the enduring debates in epistemology, metaphysics, morality, aesthetics, social philosophy, and religion.--Angela Coventry, Portland State University