William Drummond of Logiealmond
Encyclopedia
Sir William Drummond of Logiealmond (ca. 1770-1828) was a Scottish diplomat and Member of Parliament, poet and philosopher. His book Academical Questions (1805) is arguably important in the development of the ideas of English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley
.
, and in the elections of 1796 and 1801 was returned for Lostwithiel
. These were both rotten borough
s in Cornwall
. He became a Privy Counsellor in 1801, and left Parliament as a diplomat, becoming British Ambassador to Naples and the Ottoman Empire.
, which was, in fact, not so much Platonist as Sceptical in orientation, based on the work of Pyrrho the Sceptic and later followers of Pyrrho such as Carneades
. Academical Questions is a work in the Sceptic tradition, in this case influenced by the Sceptical Scottish philosopher David Hume
.
According to C. E. Pulos's 1954 book The Deep Truth: A Study of Shelley's Scepticism, Drummond uses Sceptical Humean ideas in an attempt to refute the British philosophy predominant in his day, the Common Sense ideas of Thomas Reid
and his followers. These had been enunciated first in Reid's An Enquiry Into the Human Mind (1765).
Drummond failed to unseat Reid's ideas in popularity; they remained dominant in English philosophy for the first half of the 19th century.
. According to Pulos, Drummond altered the poet Shelley's beliefs. He ceased being an 18th century French materialist; Shelley asserted that some passions (of the heart) are "innate."
references the Oedipus Aegyptiacus
of Athanasius Kircher
, and was printed for private circulation. It was reprinted in 1866, having proved highly controversial (introduction to 1986 reprint by James P. Carley). It interprets passages from the Book of Genesis (in particular the Chedorlaomer
story), and the Book of Joshua
, in allegorical fashion, with a detailed argument based on astrology
.
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...
.
Career
In 1795 he was MP for St. MawesSt Mawes (UK Parliament constituency)
St Mawes was a rotten borough in Cornwall. It returned two Members of Parliament ) to the House of Commons of England from 1562 to 1707, to the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom until it was abolished by the Great Reform Act in...
, and in the elections of 1796 and 1801 was returned for Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel (UK Parliament constituency)
Lostwithiel was a rotten borough in Cornwall which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in the English and later British Parliament from 1304 to 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:...
. These were both rotten borough
Rotten borough
A "rotten", "decayed" or pocket borough was a parliamentary borough or constituency in the United Kingdom that had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain undue and unrepresentative influence within Parliament....
s in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. He became a Privy Counsellor in 1801, and left Parliament as a diplomat, becoming British Ambassador to Naples and the Ottoman Empire.
The Argument of Academical Questions
The title of Drummond's book refers to the later Platonic AcademyPlatonic Academy
The Academy was founded by Plato in ca. 387 BC in Athens. Aristotle studied there for twenty years before founding his own school, the Lyceum. The Academy persisted throughout the Hellenistic period as a skeptical school, until coming to an end after the death of Philo of Larissa in 83 BC...
, which was, in fact, not so much Platonist as Sceptical in orientation, based on the work of Pyrrho the Sceptic and later followers of Pyrrho such as Carneades
Carneades
Carneades was an Academic skeptic born in Cyrene. By the year 159 BC, he had started to refute all previous dogmatic doctrines, especially Stoicism, and even the Epicureans whom previous skeptics had spared. As head of the Academy, he was one of three philosophers sent to Rome in 155 BC where his...
. Academical Questions is a work in the Sceptic tradition, in this case influenced by the Sceptical Scottish 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...
.
According to C. E. Pulos's 1954 book The Deep Truth: A Study of Shelley's Scepticism, Drummond uses Sceptical Humean ideas in an attempt to refute the British philosophy predominant in his day, the Common Sense ideas of Thomas Reid
Thomas Reid
The Reverend Thomas Reid FRSE , was a religiously trained Scottish philosopher, and a contemporary of David Hume, was the founder of the Scottish School of Common Sense, and played an integral role in the Scottish Enlightenment...
and his followers. These had been enunciated first in Reid's An Enquiry Into the Human Mind (1765).
Drummond failed to unseat Reid's ideas in popularity; they remained dominant in English philosophy for the first half of the 19th century.
Legacy
In contrast to other scholars he names, Pulos argues that Shelley was decisively influenced by Academical Questions, and under its influence confidently abandoned 18th century French materialismMaterialism
In philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance...
. According to Pulos, Drummond altered the poet Shelley's beliefs. He ceased being an 18th century French materialist; Shelley asserted that some passions (of the heart) are "innate."
Other writings
His Oedipus JudaicusOedipus Judaicus
Oedipus Judaicus by William Drummond was first published in 1811 to a limited release of 200 copies. The book was originally intended for use in a scholastic setting in an attempt to protect Drummond's political career from ridicule....
references the Oedipus Aegyptiacus
Oedipus Aegyptiacus
Oedipus Aegyptiacus is Athanasius Kircher's supreme work of Egyptology.The three full folio tomes of ornate illustrations and diagrams were published in Rome over the period 1652–54...
of Athanasius Kircher
Athanasius Kircher
Athanasius Kircher was a 17th century German Jesuit scholar who published around 40 works, most notably in the fields of oriental studies, geology, and medicine...
, and was printed for private circulation. It was reprinted in 1866, having proved highly controversial (introduction to 1986 reprint by James P. Carley). It interprets passages from the Book of Genesis (in particular the Chedorlaomer
Chedorlaomer
Chedorlaomer "a handful of sheaves", was a king of Elam according to the Hebrew Bible book of Genesis Chapter 14. He ruled fourteen years, from the East in southwestern Persia, occupying the regions east of the Jordan river, in the days of Abram...
story), and the Book of Joshua
Book of Joshua
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and of the Old Testament. Its 24 chapters tell of the entry of the Israelites into Canaan, their conquest and division of the land under the leadership of Joshua, and of serving God in the land....
, in allegorical fashion, with a detailed argument based on astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
.
Works
- A Review of the Government of Sparta and Athens (1794)
- Academical Questions (1805)
- Herculanensia (1810) with Robert Walpole
- Oedipus JudaicusOedipus JudaicusOedipus Judaicus by William Drummond was first published in 1811 to a limited release of 200 copies. The book was originally intended for use in a scholastic setting in an attempt to protect Drummond's political career from ridicule....
(1811, privately circulated and reprinted in 1986) - Odin (1818), poem
- Origines, or Remarks on the Origin of several Empires, States, and Cities (1824-9)
External links
- The Oedipus Judaicus by Sir William Drummond
- Origines; or, Remarks on the Origin of Several Empires, States, and Cities by Sir William Drummond Vol. I, Vol. II, Vol. III
- "On the Antiquity of the Zodiacs of Esneh and Dendera" by Sir William Drummond Part I, Part II, Part III
- "On the Science of the Egyptians and Chaldeans" by Sir William Drummond Part I, Part II
- Biography
- Genealogy
- Obituary
- Old Cyclopaedia article