Herbert James Paton
FBA FSA Scot
The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body of Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. The Society's aim is to promote the cultural heritage of Scotland.
The usua ...
(30 March 1887 – 2 August 1969), usually cited as H. J. Paton, was a
Scottish philosopher
A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
who taught at various university institutions, including
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 ...
and
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. He worked in British intelligence during the two world wars and played a diplomatic role on behalf of
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
at the 1919
Versailles conference
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...
. In 1968, the year before his death, he published ''The Claim of Scotland'', a plea for greater general understanding of the constitutional position of his own native country.
Early life and education
Paton was born in
Abernethy
Abernethy may refer to:
Places Scotland
* Abernethy, Perth and Kinross, a village
** Abernethy (NBR) railway station, a former railway station in this village
* Nethy Bridge, Highland, a village formerly known as Abernethy
* Abernethy Forest, ...
. He was the son of the Reverend William Macalister Paton and Jean Robertson Millar.
He was educated at the
High School of Glasgow
The High School of Glasgow is an independent, co-educational day school in Glasgow, Scotland. The original High School of Glasgow was founded as the choir school of Glasgow Cathedral in around 1124, and is the oldest school in Scotland, and the ...
, 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
, ...
, and
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...
. At Oxford he gained a First in Classical Moderations, 1909, and a First in Literae Humaniores ('Greats', a combination of philosophy and ancient history) in 1911.
Service in the wars
During the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
Paton served in the
Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
*Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
*Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
* Admiralty, Traf ...
's Intelligence Division, 1914–1919, and became an expert on Polish affairs in which capacity he attended the
Versailles conference
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...
in 1919. At the Peace Conference he was the brains behind the
Curzon Line
The Curzon Line was a proposed demarcation line between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Soviet Union, two new states emerging after World War I. It was first proposed by George Curzon, 1st Marque ...
. Drawn across eastern
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, the line marked to the west of it what
Lord Curzon
George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), styled Lord Curzon of Kedleston between 1898 and 1911 and then Earl Curzon of Kedleston between 1911 and 1921, was a British Conservative statesman ...
, the British Foreign Secretary, would guarantee as Poland for the Poles. It was breached by the
German-Russian Steel Pact of 28 September 1939, that prevented Russians from assisting Poland.
During the
Second World
The Second World is a term originating during the Cold War for the industrial socialist states that were under the influence of the Soviet Union. In the first two decades following World War II, 19 communist states emerged; all of these were at ...
War Paton did government work in the
Foreign Research and Press Service (after 1943 the Foreign Office Research Department), 1939–44. He was also a member of the Executive Committee of the
League of Nations Union The League of Nations Union (LNU) was an organization formed in October 1918 in Great Britain to promote international justice, collective security and a permanent peace between nations based upon the ideals of the League of Nations. The League of N ...
, 1939–48.
Academic career
From 1911 to 1927 Paton was a fellow and praelector in Classics and Philosophy at
Queen's College, and Dean of the College, 1917–22.
[''Who's Who, 1965'', London, A. & C. Black, 1965, p. 2363.] In 1920 he served as Junior Proctor at Oxford. He spent a sabbatical year in the
United States of America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
, 1926-26, where he was
Laura Spelman Rockefeller
Laura Celestia "Cettie" Spelman Rockefeller (September 9, 1839 – March 12, 1915) was an American abolitionist, philanthropist, school teacher, and prominent member of the Rockefeller family. Her husband was Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rocke ...
Research Fellow,
University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...
.
[ There he wrote his first philosophy book, ''The Good Will''.][ W. H. Walsh]
'Herbert James Paton'
''Proceedings of the British Academy, 1970'', London : Oxford University Press, 1972, p. 294. The year after his return to Oxford he resigned his Queen's Fellowship to take up the post of Professor of Logic and Rhetoric at the University of Glasgow, 1927–37.[ He returned to Oxford as White's Professor of Moral Philosophy (1937–52), a post which carried with it a Fellowship at Corpus Christi College.
Paton was a notable ]Kant
Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German Philosophy, philosopher and one of the central Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemolo ...
ian scholar; in this he abandoned his earlier attraction to the 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 ide ...
philosophy of Benedetto Croce
Benedetto Croce (; 25 February 1866 – 20 November 1952)
was an Italian idealist philosopher, historian, and politician, who wrote on numerous topics, including philosophy, history, historiography and aesthetics. In most regards, Croce was a lib ...
(1866-1952).[W. H. Walsh, 'Herbert James Paton', ''Proceedings of the British Academy, 1970'', London : Oxford University Press, 1972, pp.294, 297.] His works of Kantian commentary included ''Kant's Metaphysics of Experience'' (1936), ''The Categorical Imperative'' (1947), and ''The Moral Law'' (a translation of Kant's ''Grundlegung zur Metaphysik der Sitten'' oundations of the Metaphysics of Morals 1785] (1947). Paton delivered the Gifford Lectures
The Gifford Lectures () are an annual series of lectures which were established in 1887 by the will of Adam Gifford, Lord Gifford. Their purpose is to "promote and diffuse the study of natural theology in the widest sense of the term – in o ...
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 ...
, 1949–50; the lectures were published as ''The Modern Predicament'' (1955).
Cultural politics
In his final years Paton published ''The Claim of Scotland'' (1968), a considered dissection of national sensitivities between Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
and England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
under the Treaty of Union
The Treaty of Union is the name usually now given to the treaty which led to the creation of the new state of Great Britain, stating that the Kingdom of England (which already included Wales) and the Kingdom of Scotland were to be "United i ...
, in which he articulated a robust yet peaceable call for greater general understanding of Scotland's sovereign
''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'.
The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...
rights. The book cites in particular the period in the early 1950s when parliament in London effectively ignored the Scottish Covenant
The Scottish Covenant was a petition to the United Kingdom government to create a home rule Scottish parliament. First proposed in 1930, and promoted by the ''Scots Independent'' in 1939, the National Covenant movement reached its peak during the ...
of 1949.
Personal life
Paton married twice, the first time in 1936 to Mary Sheila (d. 1959), daughter of Henry Paul Todd-Naylor. His second marriage was with Sarah Irene (d. 1964), daughter of Professor William Macneile Dixon
William Macneile Dixon (1866 – 31 January 1946) was a British author and academic.
Biography
Dixon was born in India, the only son of the Reverend William Dixon and attended Methodist College Belfast. He studied at Trinity College, Dublin, w ...
. He died on August 2, 1969 in Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross ( sco, Pairth an Kinross; gd, Peairt agus Ceann Rois) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Fife, Highland and S ...
.
A short philosophical autobiography appears in 'Fifty Years of Philosophy',''Contemporary British Philosophy, Third Series'', ed. H.D. Lewis, London : George Allen & Unwin, 1st ed., 1956, 2nd ed., 1961, pp. 337–354.
Notes
References
* 'Paton, Herbert James’, ''Who Was Who'', A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007
accessed 17 Feb 2012
* Stuart Brown, ‘Paton, Herbert James (1887–1969)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paton, Herbert James
1887 births
1969 deaths
Fellows of the British Academy
Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Scottish philosophers
20th-century British philosophers
Presidents of the Aristotelian Society
White's Professors of Moral Philosophy
20th-century antiquarians