George Elder Davie
Encyclopedia
George Elder Davie was a prominent Scottish philosopher whose well-received book, The Democratic Intellect (1961), concerns the treatment of philosophy in 19th century Scottish universities.
on 18 March 1912. His father, George Myles Davie was a pharmacist
and chemistry teacher, and his mother was Isabella Calder Elder. He married Elspeth Mary Dryer, an art teacher, on 5 October 1944 at Bonnyrigg
Church in Midlothian
. Elspeth Davie later became a respected writer and was awarded the Katherine Mansfield
Prize in 1978. They had one daughter with whom he resided at Sutton Veny
, Wiltshire
at the time of his death on 20 March 2007.
Davie's somewhat prolix style of writing is exemplified here:
“It is possible to confirm still further the importance which this ideal of a philosophical education had for the Scots if we turn from the achieved pattern of national pedagogy to the plans which were being mooted for its development. What these plans reveal – until well on in the nineteenth century – is the remarkable hold on the country of the belief in the possibility of general education through philosophy. Not that the Scots had any dislike of professional accomplishment; on the contrary, they admired it even to excess, and were eager for the introduction into their educational system of training centres for higher education and specialisation in the new subjects. But the distinctive mark of their thinking about these matters and of the organised projects it inspired was that they wanted to retain philosophy as a compulsory part of what we would now call secondary education (fifteen to nineteen), and that admission to the specialist schools – though it was to be granted early – nevertheless would require, as a preliminary, philosophical education in the old style.”
Life
He was born at no. 4 Baxter Park Terrace, DundeeDundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
on 18 March 1912. His father, George Myles Davie was a pharmacist
Pharmacist
Pharmacists are allied health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use...
and chemistry teacher, and his mother was Isabella Calder Elder. He married Elspeth Mary Dryer, an art teacher, on 5 October 1944 at Bonnyrigg
Bonnyrigg
Bonnyrigg is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, eight miles southeast of Edinburgh city centre. The town had a population of 11,260 in the 1991 census which has risen to 14,457 according to the 2001 census. Along with Lasswade, Bonnyrigg is a twin town with Saint-Cyr-l'École, France.- History :Early...
Church in Midlothian
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
. Elspeth Davie later became a respected writer and was awarded the Katherine Mansfield
Katherine Mansfield
Kathleen Mansfield Beauchamp Murry was a prominent modernist writer of short fiction who was born and brought up in colonial New Zealand and wrote under the pen name of Katherine Mansfield. Mansfield left for Great Britain in 1908 where she encountered Modernist writers such as D.H. Lawrence and...
Prize in 1978. They had one daughter with whom he resided at Sutton Veny
Sutton Veny
Sutton Veny is a small village situated in the Wylye Valley, about 2 miles south east of the town of Warminster in Wiltshire, England. 'Sutton' means south farmstead in relation to Norton Bavant, one mile to the north...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
at the time of his death on 20 March 2007.
Career
- George Davie was educated at the High School of DundeeHigh School of DundeeThe High School of Dundee is an independent, co-educational, day school in the city of Dundee, Scotland which provides both primary and secondary education to just over one thousand pupils...
after which he was offered a place at Oxford University but turned it down in favour of Edinburgh University where graduated MA in 1935 with a first class honours degree in ClassicsClassicsClassics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
. - In 1939 he was appointed assistant lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at Edinburgh University. He was assistant to Norman Kemp SmithNorman Kemp SmithNorman Kemp Smith was a Scottish philosopher who lectured at Princeton University and was Professor of Logic and Metaphysics at the University of Edinburgh. Born Norman Smith in Dundee, Scotland, he added his wife's last name when he married Amy Kemp in 1910.-Career:Kemp Smith received his...
and he later co-edited the latter's collected papers. - His war service between 1941 and 1945 was in the Royal Corps of SignalsRoyal Corps of SignalsThe Royal Corps of Signals is one of the combat support arms of the British Army...
. - After the war, he was appointed lecturer in philosophy at Queens University, Belfast where he remained till 1959 when he returned to Edinburgh University as Lecturer. He retired in 1982 and was appointed Reader Emeritus at Edinburgh in 1987.
- In 1953 he was awarded the degree of DLitt by Edinburgh University for his thesis, "A Scotch Metaphysics - the Theory of Knowledge in the Scottish Universities 1730-1860". This thesis was published in 2000 under the title, The Scotch Metaphysics : a Century of Enlightenment in Scotland.
- A Conference was held in his honour at Edinburgh University on 13 to 15 September 1996. It was entitled: 'The Legacy of Empiricism, A Conference in Honour of George Davie', and held in the David Hume Tower. On Sunday 15 September 1996, he delivered a conference paper entitled “Five Philosophical Theses from FerrierJames Frederick FerrierJames Frederick Ferrier was a Scottish metaphysical writer. He introduced the term epistemology.-Education and early writings:Ferrier was born in Edinburgh, the son of John Ferrier, writer to the signet...
”. In spite of suffering blindness by that time he held the rapt attention of his audience for an hour and a half.
Honours
- Honorary Doctorate at Dundee University
- Honorary Doctorate at Edinburgh University
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
- Fellow of the Educational Institute of ScotlandEducational Institute of ScotlandThe Educational Institute of Scotland is the oldest teachers' trade union in the world, having been founded in 1847 when dominies became concerned about the effect of changes to the system of education in Scotland on their professional status....
- Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun Award of the Saltire Society
- FestschriftFestschriftIn academia, a Festschrift , is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime. The term, borrowed from German, could be translated as celebration publication or celebratory writing...
published in his honour by Dr. Vincent Hope in 1984
The Democratic Intellect
In this book, Davie deals with the struggle during the 19th century in Scotland to maintain a generalist form of education which is not only philosophical but also scientific, humanistic and democratic. The book has been described as "a thesis about liberal education - pursued by a micro-historical investigation of the culture and academic politics of Scotland's universities in the 19th century. More than 40 years on, the book's discussions of the restriction of academic independence by centralisation, inter-university competition for prestige, research versus teaching and even versus scholarship, notions of abandoning moral discourse for ill-examined claims regarding scientific advance, are still relevant."Davie's somewhat prolix style of writing is exemplified here:
“It is possible to confirm still further the importance which this ideal of a philosophical education had for the Scots if we turn from the achieved pattern of national pedagogy to the plans which were being mooted for its development. What these plans reveal – until well on in the nineteenth century – is the remarkable hold on the country of the belief in the possibility of general education through philosophy. Not that the Scots had any dislike of professional accomplishment; on the contrary, they admired it even to excess, and were eager for the introduction into their educational system of training centres for higher education and specialisation in the new subjects. But the distinctive mark of their thinking about these matters and of the organised projects it inspired was that they wanted to retain philosophy as a compulsory part of what we would now call secondary education (fifteen to nineteen), and that admission to the specialist schools – though it was to be granted early – nevertheless would require, as a preliminary, philosophical education in the old style.”
Publications
- The Democratic Intellect: Scotland and her Universities in the Nineteenth Century. Edinburgh: University Press, 1961, 1964 and 1999.
- The Scottish Enlightenment. London Historical Association, 1981.
- The Crisis of the Democratic Intellect: The Problem of Generalism and Specialisation in Twentieth-Century Scotland. Edinburgh: Polygon, 1986.
- 'Scottish Philosophy and Specialisation: a Long View'. Occasional papers of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, nos. 2-6. Edinburgh: 1985, p. 41-56.
- The Scottish Enlightenment and Other Essays. Edinburgh: Polygon, 1991.
- A Passion for Ideas: Essays on the Scottish Enlightenment 2. Edinburgh: Polygon, 1994.
- The Scotch Metaphysics : a Century of Enlightenment in Scotland. London & New York: Routledge, 2000.
Sources
- ObituaryObituaryAn obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
in The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/george-davie-442290.html - ObituaryObituaryAn obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
in The Herald: http://www.heraldscotland.com/george-davie-1.854872 - Edinburgh University obituaryObituaryAn obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
: http://www.philosophy.ed.ac.uk/documents/GeorgeDavieobituary.pdf