John Henry Muirhead (28 April 1855 – 24 May 1940) was a Scottish

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

best known for having initiated the Muirhead Library of Philosophy in 1890. He became the first person named to the Chair of Philosophy at the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

in 1900.

Biography

Born in

Glasgow, Scotland Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, Muirhead was educated at Gilbertfield House School, the

Glasgow Academy The Glasgow Academy is a coeducational private day school for pupils aged 3–18 in Glasgow, Scotland. In 2016, it had the third-best Higher level exam results in Scotland. Founded in 1845, it is the oldest continuously fully private school in ...

(1866–70), and proceeded to

Glasgow University The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in post-nominals; ) is a public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ...

, where he was deeply influenced by the Hegelianism of

Edward Caird Edward Caird (; 23 March 1835 – 1 November 1908) was a Scottish philosopher. He was a holder of LLD, DCL, and DLitt. Life The younger brother of the theologian John Caird, he was the son of engineer John Caird, the proprietor of Caird ...

, the Professor of Moral Philosophy. He graduated MA in 1875. The same year he won a Snell exhibition at

Balliol College Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and ar ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, to which he went up in Trinity Term 1875. His Library was originally published by

Allen & Unwin George Allen & Unwin was a British publishing company formed in 1911 when Sir Stanley Unwin purchased a controlling interest in George Allen & Co. It became one of the leading publishers of the twentieth century and established an Australian ...

and continued through to the 1970s. His Library is seen as a crucial landmark in the history of modern philosophy, publishing a number of prominent 20th century philosophers including

Brand Blanshard Percy Brand Blanshard ( ; August 27, 1892 – November 19, 1987) was an American philosopher known primarily for his defense of rationalism and idealism. Biography Brand Blanshard was born August 27, 1892, in Fredericksburg, Ohio. His parent ...

, Francis Herbert Bradley, Axel Hagerstrom,

Henri Bergson Henri-Louis Bergson (; ; 18 October 1859 – 4 January 1941) was a French philosopher who was influential in the traditions of analytic philosophy and continental philosophy, especially during the first half of the 20th century until the S ...

Edmund Husserl Edmund Gustav Albrecht Husserl (; 8 April 1859 – 27 April 1938) was an Austrian-German philosopher and mathematician who established the school of Phenomenology (philosophy), phenomenology. In his early work, he elaborated critiques of histori ...

, Bernard Bosanquet, Irving Thalberg, Jr.,

Georg Wilhelm Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a 19th-century German idealist. His influence extends across a wide range of topics from metaphysical issues in epistemology and ontology, to political philosophy and the p ...

Bertrand Russell Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, and public intellectual. He had influence on mathematics, logic, set theory, and various areas of analytic ...

and

George Edward Moore George Edward Moore (4 November 1873 – 24 October 1958) was an English philosopher, who with Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein and earlier Gottlob Frege was among the initiators of analytic philosophy. He and Russell began de-emphasiz ...

. In 2002, the Library was made available in a 95 volume set (). Muirhead was a philosophical

idealist Idealism in philosophy, also known as philosophical realism or metaphysical idealism, is the set of metaphysical perspectives asserting that, most fundamentally, reality is equivalent to mind, spirit, or consciousness; that reality is entir ...

and was involved in the

British idealist A subset of absolute idealism, British idealism was a philosophical movement that was influential in Britain from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. The leading figures in the movement were T. H. Green (1836–1882), F. H ...

movement.Mander, W. J. (2011). ''British Idealism: A History''. Oxford University Press. p. 222;

Selected bibliography

''The Inner Life in Relation to Morality: A Study in the Elements of Religion''
(an article in ''International Journal of Ethics'' January 1891, pages 169 to 186)
''The Elements of Ethics: an Introduction to Moral Philosophy''
(1892) - Charles Scribner's Sons, New York.
''Abstract and Practical Ethics''
(an article in ''American Journal of Sociology'' November 1896, Volume II, pages 341 to 357).
''Chapters from Aristotle's Ethics''
(1900) - John Murray, London.
''Philosophy and Life; and other Essays''
(1902) - Swan Sonnenschein & Co. Ltd, London.
''Wordsworth's Ideal of Early Education''
(an article in ''International Journal of Ethics'' April 1904, pages 339 to 352).
''The Service of the State: four lectures on the Political Teaching of T. H. Green''
(1908) - John Murray, London.
''The Ethical Aspect of the New Theology''
(an article in ''International Journal of Ethics'' April 1904 January 1910, pages 129 to 140).
''German Philosophy in relation to the War''
(1915) - John Murray, London.
''Social Purpose: a contribution to a Philosophy of Civic Society''
with H. J. W. Hetherington (1918) - London: G. Allen & Unwin; New York: Macmillan.
''The Life and Philosophy of Edward Caird''
(written with Sir Henry Jones) (1921) – Maclehose, Jackson and Co., Glasgow.
''Coleridge as Philosopher''
(1930) - Macmillan, New York.
''The Platonic Tradition in Anglo-Saxon Philosophy: Studies in the History of Idealism in England and America''
(1931) - London: G. Allen & Unwin; New York: Macmillan. * ''The Use of Philosophy: Californian Addresses'' (1979) - Greenwood Press. * ''Rule and End in Morals'' (1969) - Books for Libraries Press

References

External links

*
Works by John Henry Muirhead
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muirhead, John Henry 1855 births 1940 deaths Academics of the University of Birmingham Idealists Scottish humanists 19th-century Scottish philosophers 20th-century Scottish philosophers Writers from Glasgow People from Rotherfield