William Cleghorn
Encyclopedia
William Cleghorn was a British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...

 philosopher. He was born to a successful Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 brewer
Brewing
Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...

, Hugh Cleghorn, and Jean Hamilton, and died in 1754, aged 36. William Cleghorn held the Chair of Pneumatics
Philosophy of mind
Philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions, mental properties, consciousness and their relationship to the physical body, particularly the brain. The mind-body problem, i.e...

 and Moral Philosophy at 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...

 from 1745 until his death in 1754. Four volumes of notes on Cleghorn's lectures on moral philosophy from 1746–47 are stored at the University of Edinburgh library.

Cleghorn: David Hume's rival

Cleghorn is primarily remembered for being a rival of the more famous philosopher David Hume
David Hume
David 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...

. In 1744 and 1745, Hume and Cleghorn were competing candidates for the position of Chair of Pneumatics and Moral Philosophy at 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...

. Hume was arguably the better of the two candidates. He is clearly of greater historical importance. However, the town council appointed Cleghorn to the position on the 5th of June 1745. Hume was an atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...

, and it is known that many of the ministers of Edinburgh opposed his appointment to the Chair's position, and petitioned the town council, describing Hume as amoral
Amorality
Amorality is an absence of, indifference towards, or disregard for moral beliefs. Any entity that is not sentient may be considered amoral. In addition, it can be argued that sentient but non-human creatures, like dogs, have no concept of morality and are therefore amoral...

, an atheist, and a sceptic
Skepticism
Skepticism has many definitions, but generally refers to any questioning attitude towards knowledge, facts, or opinions/beliefs stated as facts, or doubt regarding claims that are taken for granted elsewhere...

. It has been suggested that a clique of people who disliked Hume's personal beliefs arranged for Cleghorn to be given the Chair's position at the University. However, some historians believe that Cleghorn was appointed to the position, not because of rivalry based on personal beliefs, but rather because of rivalry between two competing schools of thought on moral philosophy.

Cleghorn and Adam Ferguson

Cleghorn was a friend, and probably also teacher, of Adam Ferguson
Adam Ferguson
Adam Ferguson FRSE, also known as Ferguson of Raith was a Scottish philosopher, social scientist and historian of the Scottish Enlightenment...

. It is thought that one of the characters in Ferguson's philosophical work Dialogue on a Highland Jaunt is based on Cleghorn. It has also been claimed that Cleghorn recommended, shortly before his death, that Ferguson be given the Chair of Pneumatics and Moral Philosophy once he had died. Ferguson was not given the Chair at this time, although he was given it later.
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