Gershom Carmichael (1672–1729) was a Scottish philosopher. Gershom Carmichael was a Scottish subject born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the son of Alexander Charmichael, a

Church of Scotland minister A Church of Scotland congregation is led by its minister and elders. Both of these terms are also used in other Christian denominations: see Minister (Christianity) and Elder (Christianity). This article discusses the specific understanding o ...

who had been

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by the

Scottish privy council The Privy Council of Scotland ( — 1 May 1708) was a body that advised the Scottish monarch. In the range of its functions the council was often more important than the Estates in the running the country. Its registers include a wide range of ...

for his religious opinions. As a child, he suffered from crooked limbs (probably

rickets Rickets is a condition that results in weak or soft bones in children, and is caused by either dietary deficiency or genetic causes. Symptoms include bowed legs, stunted growth, bone pain, large forehead, and trouble sleeping. Complications may ...

) and was treated by "body menders" who made him wear limb braces. Through his friendship with the

Duke of Hamilton Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in April 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that peerage (except for the Dukedom of Rothesay held by the Sovereign's eldest son), and as such its holder is the premier peer of Sco ...

, Carmichael visited

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to take the waters and he was eventually able to dispense with the braces. Carmichael graduated at

Edinburgh University 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 1582 ...

in 1691, and became a

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St Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...

. In 1694 he was elected a master in the

university of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

– an office that was converted into the professorship of moral philosophy in 1727, when the system of masters was abolished at Glasgow. He died 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 ...

. Sir William Hamilton regarded him as "the real founder of the Scottish school of philosophy". He wrote ''Breviuscula Introductio ad Logicam'', a treatise on

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 premises ...

and the

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of the intellectual powers, combining Arnauld and

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with Locke; ''Synopsis Theologiae Naturalis''; and an edition of

Pufendorf Samuel Freiherr von Pufendorf (8 January 1632 – 26 October 1694) was a German jurist, political philosopher, economist and historian. He was born Samuel Pufendorf and ennobled in 1694; he was made a baron by Charles XI of Sweden a few months b ...

, ''De Officio Hominis et Civis'', with notes and supplements of high value. His son Frederick was the author of ''Sermons on Several Important Subjects'' and ''Sermons on Christian Zeal'', both published in 1753.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carmichael, Gershom 1672 births 1729 deaths Scottish philosophers Moral philosophers Anglo-Scots Writers from London Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Academics of the University of St Andrews Academics of the University of Glasgow