John Veitch (24 October 1829 – 3 September 1894), Scottish philosopher,

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

. He was born in

Peebles Peebles ( gd, Na Pùballan) is a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was historically a royal burgh and the county town of Peeblesshire. According to the 2011 census, the population was 8,376 and the estimated population in June 2018 wa ...

, the only son of

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

veteran James Veitch and his wife Nancy Ritchie, a woman steeped in the folk traditions of the Borders. He was educated at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

.John Veitch
University of Glasgow He was assistant lecturer successively to Sir William Hamilton and

Alexander Campbell Fraser Alexander Campbell Fraser (3 September 1819 – 2 December 1914) was a Scottish theologian and philosopher. Life He was born in the manse at Ardchattan, Argyll, the son of the parish minister, Rev Hugh Fraser, and his wife, Maria Helen Camp ...

(1856–60). In 1860 he was appointed to the chair of

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premise ...

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

and rhetoric at the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

, and in 1864 to the corresponding chair at the University of Glasgow. In St. Andrews, he lived at 8 Playfair Terrace. In

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, he lectured to working men and women and between 1877 and 1883 put on courses for the Glasgow Association for the Higher Education of Women. He founded the

Scottish Mountaineering Club Established in 1889, the Scottish Mountaineering Club is the leading club for climbing and mountaineering in Scotland. History The Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) was formed in 1889 as Scotland’s national club and the initial membership of ...

in 1892. He deplored the damaging environmental impacts of industrialisation and campaigned to save old buildings.Cowley, Stephen (1994) ''John Veitch, Scottish Philosopher, Poet and Literary Critic'', in ''Edinburgh Review'' Issue 92, Edinburgh, pp. 141 - 147 In philosophy an

intuitionist In the philosophy of mathematics, intuitionism, or neointuitionism (opposed to preintuitionism), is an approach where mathematics is considered to be purely the result of the constructive mental activity of humans rather than the discovery of f ...

, he was dismissive of

idealist In philosophy, the term idealism identifies and describes metaphysical perspectives which assert that reality is indistinguishable and inseparable from perception and understanding; that reality is a mental construct closely connected to id ...

arguments. He is remembered chiefly for his work on the literature and antiquities of the Scottish Borders. See ''Memoir'' by his niece, Mary RL Bryce (1896).

Publications

*translations of Descartes' ''Discours de la méthode'' (1850) and ''Méditationes'' (1852) *an edition of Sir William Hamilton's lectures with memoir (1869, in collaboration with HL Mansel) *''Tweed, and other Poems'' (1875) *''Lucretius and the Atomic Theory'' (1875) *''The History and Poetry of the Scottish Border'' (1877; ed. 1893) *''Hamilton'' (1882) *''The River Tweed from its Source to the Sea'' (1884) *''Institutes of Logic'' (1885) *''The Feeling for Nature in Scottish Poetry'' (1887) *''Knowing and Being'' (1889) *''Merlin'' (1889) *''Dualism and Monism'' (1895) *''Border Essays'' (1896).

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Veitch, John 1829 births 1894 deaths Scottish philosophers People from Peebles 19th-century Scottish poets Academics of the University of Glasgow Academics of the University of St Andrews