John Laird

Regius Professor Moral Philosophy, University of Aberdeen

(1) Theism and Cosmology (2) Mind and Deity

In his first series of lectures, Laird discusses the possibility of a natural theology based solely on the demands of reason and metaphysical consistency by addressing the fundamental issues of theism, cosmology, creation, eternity, divine ubiquity, omnipotence, teleology, and design. In his second series, Laird further develops the metaphysical system from his first series, and together, by way of an appeal to rational argument, these series explore the notion of natural theology as understood apart from religious experience.

Biography

John Laird was born on 17 May 1887 at Durris Parish, Kincardineshire. A moral philosopher, he maintained an interest in metaphysics and fulfilled his lifelong dream of a Scottish professorship. After a brief time as an assistant at St Andrews and Professor of Philosophy at Dalhousie University, Laird became Professor of Logic and Metaphysics at Queen’s University Belfast in 1913. He was appointed Regius Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Aberdeen in 1924, a position he held until his death.

Elected Fellow of the British Academy in 1933, he received honorary degrees from the University of Edinburgh and Queen’s University Belfast. He presented the Shaw Lectures, Herbert Spencer Lectures, and Forwood Lectures. Important works include A Study in Realism (1920), Our Minds and Their Bodies (1925), A Study in Moral Theory (1926), Modern Problems in Philosophy (1928), The Idea of Value (1929), Knowledge Belief and Opinion (1930), Hume’s Philosophy of Human Nature (1932), An Inquiry into Moral Notions (1935), The Device of Government: An Essay on Civil Polity (1944), and Philosophical Incursions into English Literature (1946).

Published/Archival Resources

Published as Theism and Cosmology, Mind and Deity.