Works of William Hamilton: Vol.1

Sir William Hamilton (1788-1856), metaphysician, was a leading supporter of the Scottish philosophy of "common sense", which emerged during the Scottish Enlightenment. The School's principal proponents were Thomas Reid, James Oswald, James Beattie and Dugald Stewart. Through the philosophical works of Hamilton the "common sense" tradition was able to exert its greatest influence and his writing was popular for the duration of the greater part of the 19th century, particularly in America. The material collected here includes Hamilton's most influential works. "Discussions on Philosophy" (1852) gathers the series of articles first published in the "Edinburgh Review" from 1829 to 1836, many of which were translated into French, German and Italian. The widely-read "Lectures on Metaphysics and Logic" (1859-60) brings together Hamilton's lectures, addresses and essays which were read to students at the University of Edinburgh, where he held the position of Chair of Metaphysics and Logic from 1836 until his death. Volume 7 is a collection of rare correspondence and pamphlets illustrating Hamilton's diversity of writing and his wide-reaching influence.
"Correspondence Relative to Phrenology" includes the controversial correspondence Hamilton exchanged with Johann Gaspar Spurzheim and George Combe regarding induction and scientific discovery. The almost unknown rare pamphlet "Be Not Schismatics" marks Hamilton's involvement in one of the most complex chapters of the history of the Presbyterian church. Finally the important correspondence with De Morgan on the theory of syllogism should be of interest to scholars of the history of logic. By putting together Hamilton's correspondence and miscellaneous writings, scholars will have easy access to a part of his written output which has been almost forgotten, providing a comprehensive view of his thought and his serious involvement in the debates of the time. Hamilton's correspondence should appeal to not only scholars with a philosophical background, but also to those with an interest in medical and church history. This seven-volume set is a resource to scholars seeking to examine the writings of a leading advocate of the "common sense" philosophy and wishing to reassess the traditional view concerning his engagement with the philosophies of Kant and Reid.