An Examination of Sir William Hamilton's Philosophy: Volume IX (Collected Works of John Stuart Mill)

An Examination of Sir William Hamilton's Philosophy , first published in 1865, with a second edition in the same year, and third and fourth editions in 1867 and 1872, has long been out of print. The Examination was, for his contemporaries, a most significant and popular work, presenting an extended treatment of some matters central to empiricism that found little space in Mill's Logic, the best known being his treatment of matter and mind from a psychological viewpoint. Appearing just before his successful parliamentary candidature, the Examination , with its deliberate and explicit onslaught on the intuitionists who were, in Mill's view, allied with anti-progressive political and religious forces, brought his beliefs into the public arena in a new way. Some of those who supported him politically found themselves viciously attacked because they had associated themselves with one who assailed settled religious beliefs. Other religionists who rejected many of Mill's attitudes strong expressed their admiration of the Examination because of its exposure to what they, with him, saw as dangerous theological and moral positions. Alan Ryan's analytical and historial introduction dwells on the most significant philosophical elements in the work, placing them in perspective and showing their relations to other aspects of Mill's thought. The textual introduction, by John M. Robson, examines the treatise in context of Mill's life in the 1860s, outlines its composition, and discusses, among other matters, the importance of the extensive revisions Mill made, mostly in response to critics. These revisions appear in full in the textual apparatus. Also provided are a bibliographical index, which gives a guide to the literature on the subject, and a collation of Mill's quotations, an analytical index, and appendices giving the reading of manuscript fragments and listing textual emendations. v. 1. Autobiography and literary essays v. 2-3. Principles of political economy with some of their applications to social philosophy v. 4- 5. Essays on economics and society v. 6. Essays on England, Ireland, and the Empire v. 7-8. A system of logic, ratiocinative and inductive v. 9. An examination of Sir William Hamilton's philosophy and the principal philosophical questions discussed in his writings v. 10. Essays on ethics, religion and society v. 11. Essays on philosophy and the classics v. 12- 13. The earlier letters of John Stuart Mill, 1812-1848 v. 14-17. The later letters of John Stuart Mill, 1849-1873 v. 18-19. Essays on politics and society v. 20. Essays on French history and historians v. 21. Essays on equality, law and education v. 22-25. Newspaper writings v. 26-27. Journals and debating speeches v.28-29. Public and Parliamentary speeches. v. 30. Writings on India. v. 31. Miscellaneous writings. v. 32. Additional letters of John Stuart Mill. v. 33. Indexes to the collected works. "In this book, John Stuart Mill examines the philosophy of Sir William Hamilton and discusses the principal philosophical questions in his writings. The acknowledged position of Hamilton at the head of the school of philosophy to which he belongs, has principally determined Mill to connect with his name and writings the speculations and criticisms contained in the present work. The justification of the work itself lies in the importance of the questions, to the discussion of which it is a contribution"--Book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved). "No serious student of Canada's past can function without access to this thorough, balanced and reliable source." R. Hall, Globe and Mail. By John Stuart Mill ; Editor Of The Text, J. M. Robson Introd. By Alan Ryan.