Book description
Until the publication of this Liberty Fund edition, all but one of
the works contained in
Logic, Metaphysics, and the Natural Sociability ofMankind
were available only in Latin. This milestone English translation
will provide a general audience with insight into Hutcheson's thought.
In the words of the editors: “Hutcheson's Latin texts in logic
(Logicae Compendium) and metaphysics (Synopsis
Metaphysicae) form an important part of his collected
works. Published respectively in 1756 and, in its second
edition, 1744, these works represent Hutcheson's only systematic
treatments of logic, ontology, and pneumatology, or the science
of the soul. They were considered indispensable texts for the
instruction of students in the eighteenth century. Any serious
study of Hutcheson's moral and political philosophy must take
into account his understanding of logic (of ideas, judgments,
propositions, and reasoning) and metaphysics (of existence,
individuation, causation,substance, the soul, and the
attributes of God).”
The introduction and notes to this translation situate
the texts in the context of Hutcheson's mature philosophy
and relate it to his teaching at Glasgow from 1730 until
his death in 1746. At the same time, the editors show the
links to his early teaching in Dublin in the 1720s. The
work on natural sociability was Hutcheson's significant
inaugural lecture at Glasgow..
James Moore is Emeritus Professor
of Political Science at Concordia University in Montreal.
Michael Silverthorne is
Honorary University Fellow in the School of
Classics at the University of Exeter.
Knud Haakonssen is
Professor of Intellectual History and Director
of the Centre for Intellectual History at the
University of Sussex, England.
