BROWN, THOMAS, a Scottish metaphysician, son of the Rev. Samuel Brown, was b. in 1778, at the manse of Kirkmabreck, Kirkcudbrightshire. After being some time at school in England, lie went to Edinburgh in 1792, and for several years attended the lectures of Playfair, Black, Robison, and Dugald Stewart. He began the study of law, but shortly abandoned it for medicine; and having taken his diploma of M.D.. in 1803, lie became (1806) the partner of Dr. Gregory in his large practice. But his strong bent was for literature and philosophical speculation. At the age of 18. he had published a refutation of Darwin's Zoonomia; was a member of an academy of physics, or society for "the investigation of the laws of nature," formed in 1797, and embracing the names of Erskine. Brougham. Leyden, Jeffrey. Smith. and others; and contributed at the out set to the Edinburgh Review. In 1804. appeared his essay on Cause and Effeet. in which he holds that there is nothing in a cause but the fact of immediate and invariable ante cedence to this change called its effect. Dugald Stewart. professor of moral philosophy
in the university, being obliged, from bad health, to retire in 1810, got Dr, B. appointed assistant and successor, which office he continued to discharge till his death, in 1820. Ile was popular as a professor; and his Lectures, published after his death, have gone through a great many editions, though of late they have somewhat fallen out of notice. He also wrote a good deal of poetry, which is now forgotten. Dr. B. attempted to over turn the psychological system of his predecessors, Reid and Stewart, and to substitute a new and simplified scheme of mental phenomena. The greater part of this new phi losophy was the production of his first session as professor, the writing of each lecture being begun on the evening previous to its delivery. A philosophic system thus iinpro vised could not but be crude and inconsistent, however acute and imaginative its author be. B.'s chief contribution to psychology is the establishment of a sixth or mus cular sense.