George Turnbull (11 July 1698 – 31 Jan 1748) was a Scottish philosopher, theologian, teacher, writer on education and an early but little-known figure in the
Scottish Enlightenment. He taught at
Marischal College
Marischal College ( ) is a large granite building on Broad Street in the centre of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland, and since 2011 has acted as the headquarters of Aberdeen City Council. However, the building was constructed for and is on long- ...
, Aberdeen, worked as a tutor and became an
Anglican clergyman. Aside from his published writings on
moral philosophy
Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ...
, he is also known for the influence he exerted on
Thomas Reid
Thomas Reid (; 7 May ( O.S. 26 April) 1710 – 7 October 1796) was a religiously trained Scottish philosopher. He was the founder of the Scottish School of Common Sense and played an integral role in the Scottish Enlightenment. In 1783 he wa ...
and as the first member of the Scottish Enlightenment to publish a formal treatise on the theory and practice of education.
Life
George Turnbull was born on 11 July 1698 in
Alloa
Alloa (Received Pronunciation ; educated Scottish pronunciation /ˈaloʊa/; gd, Alamhagh, possibly meaning "rock plain") is a town in Clackmannanshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It is on the north bank of the Forth at the spot wher ...
, Clackmannanshire. He was the son of George Turnbull, a minister, and his wife Elizabeth, and the third of their nine children. Turnbull began his studies 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 ...
in 1711 and started studying for a degree in
divinity
Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.[divine< ...](_blank)
in 1717, graduating MA in 1721. During his years of study in Edinburgh, he became involved with the
Rankenian Club, a circle of intellectuals, which included those who would become his closest associates:
George Young, the surgeon and
William Wishart
:''See also William Wishart (disambiguation)''
William Wishart (or Wischard) (died 28 May 1279) was a 13th-century Bishop of St. Andrews. He was postulated to the see of St. Andrews (''Cell Rígmonaid'' or ''Cill Rìmhinn'') while holding the ...
, a preacher. At this time, Turnbull was interested in creating a rational form of Christianity, which led to his correspondence with
John Toland
John Toland (30 November 167011 March 1722) was an Irish rationalist philosopher and freethinker, and occasional satirist, who wrote numerous books and pamphlets on political philosophy and philosophy of religion, which are early expressions o ...
, and the writing of an essay in defence of religious toleration which was never published.
Turnbull was made regent at
Marischal College
Marischal College ( ) is a large granite building on Broad Street in the centre of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland, and since 2011 has acted as the headquarters of Aberdeen City Council. However, the building was constructed for and is on long- ...
, Aberdeen, on 14 April 1721. His two graduation theses were ''De scientiae naturalis cum philosophia morali conjunctione'' from 1723 and ''De pulcherrima mundi cum materialis tum rationalis constitutione'' from 1726. These two works indicate that he was the first Scottish thinker to publish writings that argued for the use of the so-called
Newtonian method in constructing a
moral philosophy
Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ...
. Turnbull also drew heavily on the ideas of
Lord Shaftesbury
Earl of Shaftesbury is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1672 for Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Baron Ashley, a prominent politician in the Cabal then dominating the policies of King Charles II. He had already succeeded his f ...
. Although this might be taken to indicate a preoccupation with the scholarship of his time, Turnbull showed great fondness for the classical moralists of antiquity.
Although Turnbull was a popular teacher and exerted lasting influence on pupils such as
Thomas Reid
Thomas Reid (; 7 May ( O.S. 26 April) 1710 – 7 October 1796) was a religiously trained Scottish philosopher. He was the founder of the Scottish School of Common Sense and played an integral role in the Scottish Enlightenment. In 1783 he wa ...
, he nevertheless decided to leave Marischal. He sought a position elsewhere and had disputes with the principal of the college,
Thomas Blackwell. Turnbull left the college without prior leave and went to serve as tutor to the Udney family. In 1727 he formally resigned. After his resignation, he took on tutoring jobs and travelled on the Continent of Europe. He then received a degree from the University of Edinburgh. At this point, Turnbull decided that he might seek employment in the
Anglican church
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...
, and matriculated at
Exeter College, Oxford
(Let Exeter Flourish)
, old_names = ''Stapeldon Hall''
, named_for = Walter de Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter
, established =
, sister_college = Emmanuel College, Cambridge
, rector = Sir Richard Trainor
...
, in 1733 and received a BCL degree.
Financial difficulties forced Turnbull to resume tutoring, and with some misgivings he spent 2 years in Italy, tutoring the son of Lord Rockingham. In 1737 he used his connections with
Thomas Birch
Thomas Birch (23 November 17059 January 1766) was an English historian.
Life
He was the son of Joseph Birch, a coffee-mill maker, and was born at Clerkenwell.
He preferred study to business but, as his parents were Quakers, he did not go to t ...
to secure his ordination by the
bishop of Winchester. This precipitated his entry into court circles and in 1741 he was made chaplain to the
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
. A year later, Turnbull was granted the position of rector of
Drumachose by the bishop of
Derry and became the tutor of
Horace Walpole in 1744.
Works
Over the course of the 1730s and 1740s, Turnbull published a series of pamphlets and books which drew heavily on his theological concerns. He published a small tract in 1731 which was inspired by a passage in
Lord Shaftesbury
Earl of Shaftesbury is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1672 for Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Baron Ashley, a prominent politician in the Cabal then dominating the policies of King Charles II. He had already succeeded his f ...
's writings: ''A philosophical enquiry concerning the connexion betwixt the doctrines and miracles of Jesus Christ'', where he maintains that just as experiments confirm scientific theories, so the miracles of
Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
confirm Christian doctrine. Turnbull then wrote a critique of
Matthew Tindal
Matthew Tindal (1657 – 16 August 1733) was an eminent English deist author. His works, highly influential at the dawn of the Enlightenment, caused great controversy and challenged the Christian consensus of his time.
Life
Tindal was baptised ...
in ''Christianity neither False nor Useless, Tho' not as Old as the Creation'' in 1732, which dwelled on the relationship between
natural religion
Natural religion most frequently means the "religion of nature", in which God, the soul, spirits, and all objects of the supernatural are considered as part of nature and not separate from it. Conversely, it is also used in philosophy to describe s ...
and
revealed religion
In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities.
Background
Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...
.
In 1740, Turnbull published ''A Treatise on Ancient Painting'', where he argued for the educational usefulness of the finer arts, based on the idea that painting was a kind of language, conveying ideas and truths about life, philosophy and nature, with drawings by
Camillo Paderni
Camillo Paderni, or Camillus Paderni, lived from c. 1715 to 1781. He was an illustrator, excavator, and curator at the Museum Herculanense, as part of King Charles VII of Naples royal Palace in Portici, and a Roman.
Papyri
Paderni was possibly ...
.
[Juan Gomez,]
Paintings as Experiments in Natural and Moral Philosophy
",
Early Modern Experimental Philosophy
', 28 February 2011. Later that year, he published a brief religious work, ''An Impartial Enquiry into the Moral Character of Jesus Christ''. In this work, Turnbull expounded Christ as the greatest of moral philosophers. He also published the greatest statements of his philosophy in ''
The Principles of Moral and Christian Philosophy'', which drew on his old Aberdeen lectures as well as his discussions with philosophers on the Continent. Turnbull's last significant work was published in 1742: ''
Observations upon Liberal Education'', where he suggested a new categorisation and breakdown of knowledge, and a revision of university curriculum.
Turnbull died in
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...
on 31 January 1748 for reasons unknown.
Notes
References
*
External links
a
''The Online Library of Liberty''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turnbull, George
1698 births
1748 deaths
Scottish philosophers
18th-century philosophers
Enlightenment philosophers
People of the Scottish Enlightenment
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Academics of the University of Aberdeen
People from Alloa
18th-century Scottish people