Alexander Macbeath

Professor of Logic and Metaphysics, Queen’s University, Belfast

Experiments in Living

In his series of lectures, Macbeath is concerned with duty and obligation and the principles on which they are founded. Focusing on the outward signs of morality, good and right actions, he outlines patterns of behaviour and their expression. Macbeath defends the idea that morality is universal; therefore, one theory must account for the moral judgements of everyone. He concludes that while morality is not based in any metaphysical of theological system, it is not without implications.   

Biography

Alexander Macbeath was born on 16 October 1888 in Applecross, Scotland. A British philosopher, his interdisciplinary work served as the foundation for subsequent scholars in theology, anthropology, and philosophy. Recipient of the Alexander Smart Memorial Prize, he graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1915. After serving as a soldier in the First World War, he became Lecturer in Moral Philosophy at Glasgow. In 1925, he was appointed Professor of Logic and Metaphysics at Queen’s University in Belfast. 

Nominated Fraser Lecturer in 1948, Macbeath was also heavily involved in social work. Serving on the Belfast Council for Social Welfare for twenty-seven years and a prominent member of the Council on Civil Liberties, he was awarded Commander of the British Empire for his services to Northern Ireland in 1953. Notable works include The Moral Self: Its Nature and Development, co-authored with Alexander Knox White (1923), The Elements of Logic, co-authored with Robert Latta (1929), and The Relationship of Primitive Morality and Religion, Volume 78 (1949). 

Published/Archival Resources
Published as Experiments in Living.