The democratic intellect : Scotland and her universities in the nineteenth century / George Elder Davie, FRSE ; edited by Murdo Macdonald.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Davie, George Elder, author.

Contributor:

Macdonald, Murdo, editor.

Series:

Edinburgh classic editions

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Universities and colleges--Scotland.

Universities and colleges.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxvii, 372 pages).

Edition:

Third edition.

Place of Publication:

Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press, 2013.

Summary:

An Edinburgh Classic edition of the cornerstone work on Scotland’s intellectual identity‘A truly seminal work in the Scottish intellectual tradition’ - James KelmanFirst published in 1961, The Democratic Intellect provoked a re-evaluation of Scotland’s philosophy of itself. George Davie's account of the history of the movements which set Scotland apart from its neighbours, and of the great personalities involved, has proved seminal in restoring to Scotland a sense of the value of its unique cultural identity.Scotland’s approach to higher education has always been distinctive. From the inauguration of its first universities, the accent was on first principles, and this broad, philosophical interpretation unified the approach to knowledge – even of mathematics and science. The resulting generalist tradition contrasted with the specialism of the two English universities, Oxford and Cambridge. It stood Scotland in good stead, characterising its intellectual life even into the nineteenth century when economic, social and political pressures enforced an increasing conformity to English models.The Democratic Intellect is rightly a benchmark in Scotland’s intellectual heritage and continues to have a marked influence on those now promoting enquiry and improvement within our colleges and universities.An introduction by Murdo Macdonald and Richard Gunn and a foreword by Lindsay Paterson set the book in context for this Edinburgh Classic Edition, launched to coincide with the Scotland Independence debate of 2014.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Author’s preface and introductory essay

Part 1: UNIVERSITY POLITICS

1: The Presbyterian inheritance

2: The first assault of 1826

3: Lorimer and the 1858 commission

4: 1889 – surrender or compromise?

Part 2: THE CRISIS IN SCIENCE

5: The 1838 contest for the Edinburgh mathematical chair

6: Mathematics without metaphysics

7: Geometry or algebra?

8: The humanistic bias of Scottish science

Part 3: THE CRISIS IN CLASSICS

9: The vernacular basis of Scottish humanism

10: Blood and culture

Part 4: FERRIER AND COMMON SENSE

11: A metropolis of common sense

12: Tensions in the Scottish intellectual camps

13: The alienation of common sense

14: The thirty years war

Notes

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780748684793

0748684794

OCLC:

1306540321