Hamilton, Sir William

From Encyclopediak

Hamilton, Sir William 1788-1856, a Scottish theologian and philosopher, born in Glasgow. Alter gaining distinction as a student at Glasgow he went to Oxford, where he took first honors. In 1813 he was admitted to the Scottish bar. Turning his attention to literature and philosophy, he was appointed professor of history at the University of Edinburgh in 1821, and in 1836 became professor of logic and metaphysics in the same institution. In 1844 he was stricken with paralysis, but continued to do his work, with the aid of an assistant, until his death. Hamilton was an exponent of the "common sense" school of Scottish philosophy. He accepted a natural realism, maintaining that we are directly conscious of external objects. In his doctrine that the unconditioned cannot be known and that God is an object of faith, not of knowledge, he closely approached the position of Kant. He was for many years a regular contributor to the Edinburgh Review. In 1852 he edited these contributions with additions, under the title Discussions in Philosophy and Literature, Education, and University Reform. After his death was published his Lectures on Metaphysics and Logic.