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2The Integrity of Scottish Philosophy and the Idea of a National TraditionIn Scottish Philosophy in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Oxford University Press. 2015.This concluding chapter addresses the conceptual questions that arise in connection with identifying a philosophical tradition, and giving it a distinctive national label. It argues against the common identification of ‘Scottish philosophy’ with the ‘School of Common Sense’, and argues that Francis Hutcheson initiated an approach to philosophical questions that pre-dates the appeal to common sense developed by Reid. It contends that the ‘School of Common Sense’ was just one attempt to formulate …Read more
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3Scottish Philosophy AbroadIn Scottish Philosophy in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Oxford University Press. 2015.This chapter is divided into three separate sections devoted in order to Europe, North America, and Australasia. In the first section, attention is given to the reception of Scottish philosophical writings principally in France and Germany, from the late decades of the eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century. The second section recounts the place and influence of Scottish philosophy in the liberal arts colleges of colonial America, and the great influence of key figure such as Francis A…Read more
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8A Re-examination of Sir William Hamilton’s PhilosophyIn Scottish Philosophy in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Oxford University Press. 2015.This chapter recounts the rise, eminence, and rapid fall in the philosophical standing of Sir William Hamilton. It sets out the philosophical resources that Hamilton called upon to amend and sustain the ‘common sense’ philosophy of Thomas Reid, responding especially to the criticisms of Thomas Brown. It examines in detail the criticisms that were brought against his philosophy from both sympathizers and opponents. Special attention is given to books on Hamilton published in the nineteenth by Hen…Read more
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3Beauty, Taste, Rhetoric, and LanguageIn Aaron Garrett & James Anthony Harris (eds.), Scottish Philosophy in the Eighteenth Century, Volume I: Morals, Politics, Art, Religion, Oxford University Press. 2015.This chapter discusses four principal themes of Scottish aesthetics over the course of the eighteenth century. The first is the question of ‘taste’ and its relation to the perception and reality of beauty. Does beauty exist independently of its being perceived, or is it in some sense the product of our perception? The second is the matter of aesthetic criticism. Can aesthetic judgements be rational, and if so on what basis? The third main topic is the rhetorical use of language. Is oratory an ar…Read more
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46Religion and Spirituality: Adam Smith versus J-J RousseauJournal of Philosophical Investigations at University of Tabriz 12 (24): 83-93. 2018.Adam Smith and J-J Rousseau share some common ground when it comes to religion, namely that they were born into and educated in cultural contexts deeply shaped by Reformed Christianity. However, close consideration of their writings on religion reveal marked difference. This paper explores those differences and finds that Rousseau and Smith are radically at odds on this score. Smith has almost nothing to say about personal spirituality, and locates the significance of religion in its social role…Read more
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28Raquel Lazaro and Julio Seoane eds, The Changing Faces of Religion in XVIIIth Century ScotlandJournal of Scottish Philosophy 16 (1): 97-100. 2018.
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25Hume and Smith on Natural ReligionPhilosophy 91 (3): 345-360. 2016.The prominence of David Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion in contemporary philosophy of religion has led it to overshadow his other short work, The Natural History of Religion, and thus obscure the fact that the social psychology of religion was in many ways of greater interest and more widely debated among the philosophers of the Scottish Enlightenment than philosophical theology. This paper examines and compares the social psychology of religion advanced by Hume and Adam Smith. It a…Read more
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39Art, Therapy, and DesignThe Monist 101 (1): 59-70. 2018.This paper first elaborates ‘Art’ and the aesthetic as these concepts emerged in the eighteenth century, and uncovers the conflict between the resulting ideal of ‘art for art’s sake’ and the increasing use ‘art therapy’ for personal and social purposes. Taking this conflict to be a reason for the rejection of ‘Art’, it considers two accounts of ‘the end of Art’, one by Arthur Danto and the other by Nicholas Wolterstorff. The paper argues that both accounts fall short of adequately recognizing th…Read more
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55Identifying Scottish Philosophers: A Brief Response to Deborah BoyleJournal of Scottish Philosophy 15 (3): 295-297. 2017.
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6Philosophy, Art, and Religion: Understanding Faith and CreativityCambridge University Press. 2017.At a time when religion and science are thought to be at loggerheads, art is widely hailed as religion's natural spiritual ally. Philosophy, Art, and Religion investigates the extent to which this is true. It charts the way in which modern conceptions of 'Art' often marginalize the sacred arts, construing choral and instrumental music, painting and iconography, poetry, drama, and architecture as 'applied' arts that necessarily fall short of the ideal of 'art for art's sake'. Drawing on both hist…Read more
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Politics in its Place : a Study of Six IdeologiesRevue Philosophique de la France Et de l'Etranger 178 (1): 103-103. 1988.
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11Review: Adam Ferguson: Philosophy, Politics and Society (review)Journal of Scottish Philosophy 8 (2): 221-225. 2010.
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11The Internet: A Philosophical InquiryPsychology Press. 1999.The Internet: A Philosophical Inquiry offers the first concise and accessible exploration of the issues which arise as we enter further into the world of Cyberspace.