Francis Hutcheson
Also known as Franciscus Hutchinson, Franciscus Hutcheson, Frances Hutcheson, Franciscus Hutchesonius, Franz Hutcheson
Scottish philosopher (1694–1746)
Listeners · Last.fm
- Listeners
- 1
- Total plays
- 1
<a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Francis+Hutcheson">Read more on Last.fm</a>
Recent publications · Crossref
5 total works indexed
Article
Plaque to Francis Hutcheson on the Guildhall, Saintfield Francis Hutcheson (/ˈhʌtʃɪsən/; 8 August 1694 – 8 August 1746) was an Irish philosopher of Scottish descent widely regarded as one of the key figures of the early Scottish Enlightenment. He served as Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Glasgow and was a major advocate of moral sense theory, which holds that humans possess an innate sense that guides moral judgments. Hutcheson is best known for his ethical writings, in which he defends benevolence as the primary source of moral virtue and anticipates later utilitarian theories with his formulation of "the greatest happiness for the greatest number".
Beyond ethics, Hutcheson made significant contributions to aesthetics, epistemology, logic, and metaphysics. He was among the first modern thinkers to explore beauty as a product of an internal sense, helping to establish aesthetics as a distinct branch of philosophy. In epistemology, he engaged critically with John Locke's empiricism while defending the role of innate dispositions. In logic and metaphysics, he proposed early versions of common-sense realism and contributed to the development of the Scottish school of common sense.
Gallery (2)
Connections
Categories
1694 births1746 deaths18th-century essayists18th-century Irish male writers18th-century Irish philosophers18th-century Irish Presbyterian ministers18th-century Irish writers18th-century ministers of the Church of ScotlandAcademics of the University of GlasgowAlumni of the University of GlasgowBritish philosophy writersBurials at St. Mary's Churchyard, Dublin