HAMILTON, Six William, Scottish meta physician : b. Glasgow, 8 March 1788; d. Edin burgh, 6 May 1856. Having studied with dis tinction at Glasgow, in 1807 he entered Balliol College, Oxford, where he gained first-class honors, and in 1813 he was admitted to the Scottish bar. His taste lay in a different direc tion, and while he diligently applied himself to almost every branch of literature, mental phi losophy became his favorite study. He was ap pointed professor of civil history in the Univer sity of Edinburgh in 1821, and in 1826 became a contributor to the Edinburgh Review, en riching it with a series of articles afterward published in collected form, with large addi tions, as 'Discussions on Philosophy and Liter ature, Education, and University Of these the most celebrated was his 'Critique of Cousin's Cours de Philosophie,> in which was developed that philosopher's doctrine of the unconditioned. Many of these contributions were translated into the leading European lan guages and attracted much attention from Con tinental speculators in philosophy. In 1836 he became professor of logic and metaphysics in Edinburgh University. His zeal and ability in
discharging its duties were rewarded by the number of -ardent students whom he gathered around him. •The fame of the Scottish school of metaphysicians, which had begun to wane, was gradually re-established; and his influence would have been felt to even a higher degree had he not been struck with paralysis in 1844, from which he never recovered so far as to undertake the full duties of his position. His mind, however, retained its vigor, and he en deavored to carry out literary designs he had previously formed. In 1846 he published an annotated edition of the works of Thomas Reid, and in 1854 the commencement of a similar edi tion of the works of Dugald Stewart. His lec tures were published in 1859-61, under the ed itorship of Mansel and Veitch. His views are chiefly expounded in the 'Discussions' and in the appended to his edition of Reid, and are attacked in Mill's Consult Veitch, of Hamilton' (1869) ; the Man and His Philosophy) (1883) ; Seth, Philosophy' (1890) (English Philosophies and Schools of Philos ophy) (1912).