John Laird (philosopher)
Encyclopedia
John Laird was a philosopher, in the school of New British Realism, who later turned to metaphysical idealism.
John Laird was born at Durris, Kincardineshire
, the son of Rev. D.M.W. Laird, a Church of Scotland minister, and Margaret Laird (née Steward).
Laird attended the grammar school of Aberdeen
and the University of Edinburgh
, where he graduated with a first class degree in philosophy. Laird then moved to Trinity College, Cambridge
and gained another first class degree in the moral sciences tripos. He then spent a year at the University of St. Andrews and briefly as professor of philosophy at Dalhousie University
, Nova Scotia before Queen's University, Belfast in 1913, where he met Helen Ritchie. They married in 1919 and had one son, who died in childhood.
In 1924 he was appointed Regius Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Aberdeen
, a position which he held until his death. He was president of the Aristotelian Society
from 1929 to 1930. Laird was a prolific writer and public speaker.
John Laird was born at Durris, Kincardineshire
Kincardineshire
The County of Kincardine, also known as Kincardineshire or The Mearns was a local government county on the coast of northeast Scotland...
, the son of Rev. D.M.W. Laird, a Church of Scotland minister, and Margaret Laird (née Steward).
Laird attended the grammar school of Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
and the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, where he graduated with a first class degree in philosophy. Laird then moved to Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
and gained another first class degree in the moral sciences tripos. He then spent a year at the University of St. Andrews and briefly as professor of philosophy at Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
, Nova Scotia before Queen's University, Belfast in 1913, where he met Helen Ritchie. They married in 1919 and had one son, who died in childhood.
In 1924 he was appointed Regius Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
, a position which he held until his death. He was president of the Aristotelian Society
Aristotelian Society
The Aristotelian Society for the Systematic Study of Philosophy was founded at a meeting on 19 April 1880, at 17 Bloomsbury Square which resolved "to constitute a society of about twenty and to include ladies; the society to meet fortnightly, on Mondays at 8 o'clock, at the rooms of the Spelling...
from 1929 to 1930. Laird was a prolific writer and public speaker.
Works
His books included:- Problems of the Self (1917)
- Study in Religion (1920)
- Several biographies on philosophers such as David HumeDavid HumeDavid Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He was one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment...
and Thomas HobbesThomas HobbesThomas Hobbes of Malmesbury , in some older texts Thomas Hobbs of Malmsbury, was an English philosopher, best known today for his work on political philosophy... - The Idea of the Soul (1924)
- The Idea of Value (1929)
- Knowledge, Belief, and Opinion (1930)
- An Enquiry into Moral Notions (1935)
- Theism and Cosmology (1940)
- Mind and Deity (1941).