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John Oswald (activist)
Encyclopedia
This article is about John Oswald an 18th century political revolutionary. Information related to the Canadian composer may be found at John Oswald (composer)
John Oswald (c. 1760/1730 – September 14, 1793) was a Scottish
philosopher, writer, poet, social critic and revolutionary.
. His father is said to have been a coffee-house-keeper, or a goldsmith. He became a student goldsmith himself. It is said that Oswald learned Latin
and Greek
without a tutor, and later learned Arabic.
Oswald served in the British Army
as a Lieutenant
of the Royal Highland Regiment, the forty-second regiment of foot. He served as a recruiting officer in Scotland during the American Revolution
, and then in 1780 to the Malabar Coast
of India
. Oswald's exposure to Hindu
vegetarianism
in India had an impact on his philosophy which he describes in The Cry of Nature or An Appeal to Mercy and Justice on Behalf of the Persecuted Animals, published in 1791. This is considered an important work of western vegetarianism.
, Review of the Constitution of Great Britain, and an anti-religious leaflet Ranae Comicae Evangelizantes: or the Comic Frogs turned Methodist, in which he supported atheism
.
of 1789, Oswald travelled to Paris
, and soon joined the Jacobin Club
. In that body, he pressed for more energetic intervention by the Jacobins in British affairs, arguing that a revolution in England was essential for peace between the two nations. An address to a Manchester
radical organization was sent by the Jacobins on Oswald's urgings. According to some reports, Oswald was sent to Ireland
to offer French support for an Irish rebellion, but little appeared to come of this effort.
In March 1792, Oswald called for the universal arming of the masses, and began organizing a small army of sans-culottes
in Paris known as the First Battalion of Pikers. With the outbreak of monarchist counter-revolution in La Vendée
, the First Battalion proceeded against the insurgents. Oswald died in the battle of Ponts-de-Cee
on September 14, 1793.
, argued that modern society was in conflict with man's nature. Oswald argued in The Cry of Nature or an Appeal to Mercy and Justice on Behalf of the Persecuted Animals, that man is naturally equipped with feelings of mercy and compassion. If each man had to personally experience the death of the animals he ate, so argued Oswald, a vegetarian diet would be far more common. The division of labour, however, allows modern man to eat flesh without experiencing the prompting of man's natural sensitivities, while the brutalization of modern man made him inured to these sensitivities. Although Oswald gave compassion a central place in his philosophy, and was a vegetarian, he was not a pacifist, as evidenced by the fact that he died fighting in the French Revolution
.
John Oswald (composer)
John Oswald is a Canadian composer, saxophonist, media artist and dancer. His best known project is Plunderphonics, the practice of making new music out of previously existing recordings .-Philosophy:Oswald coined the term "plunderphonics" to describe his craft in a paper called which he...
John Oswald (c. 1760/1730 – September 14, 1793) was a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
philosopher, writer, poet, social critic and revolutionary.
Early life
Little is known for certain regarding Oswald's early life. He was born between 1755 and 1760 in EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. His father is said to have been a coffee-house-keeper, or a goldsmith. He became a student goldsmith himself. It is said that Oswald learned Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
without a tutor, and later learned Arabic.
Oswald in India
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
as a Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
of the Royal Highland Regiment, the forty-second regiment of foot. He served as a recruiting officer in Scotland during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, and then in 1780 to the Malabar Coast
Malabar Coast
The Malabar Coast is a long and narrow coastline on the south-western shore line of the mainland Indian subcontinent. Geographically, it comprises the wettest regions of southern India, as the Western Ghats intercept the moisture-laden monsoon rains, especially on their westward-facing mountain...
of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Oswald's exposure to Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
vegetarianism
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...
in India had an impact on his philosophy which he describes in The Cry of Nature or An Appeal to Mercy and Justice on Behalf of the Persecuted Animals, published in 1791. This is considered an important work of western vegetarianism.
Return to Britain
Oswald could no longer continue as an army officer. He left the army and returned to Britain in 1783, and began a period as an author of poetry and social criticism, and editor of The British Mercury, a periodical publication. During this period, Oswald wrote a sharp polemic in favour of republicanismRepublicanism
Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, where the head of state is appointed by means other than heredity, often elections. The exact meaning of republicanism varies depending on the cultural and historical context...
, Review of the Constitution of Great Britain, and an anti-religious leaflet Ranae Comicae Evangelizantes: or the Comic Frogs turned Methodist, in which he supported atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
.
Oswald in France
With the outbreak of the French RevolutionFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
of 1789, Oswald travelled to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and soon joined the Jacobin Club
Jacobin Club
The Jacobin Club was the most famous and influential political club in the development of the French Revolution, so-named because of the Dominican convent where they met, located in the Rue St. Jacques , Paris. The club originated as the Club Benthorn, formed at Versailles from a group of Breton...
. In that body, he pressed for more energetic intervention by the Jacobins in British affairs, arguing that a revolution in England was essential for peace between the two nations. An address to a Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
radical organization was sent by the Jacobins on Oswald's urgings. According to some reports, Oswald was sent to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to offer French support for an Irish rebellion, but little appeared to come of this effort.
In March 1792, Oswald called for the universal arming of the masses, and began organizing a small army of sans-culottes
Sans-culottes
In the French Revolution, the sans-culottes were the radical militants of the lower classes, typically urban laborers. Though ill-clad and ill-equipped, they made up the bulk of the Revolutionary army during the early years of the French Revolutionary Wars...
in Paris known as the First Battalion of Pikers. With the outbreak of monarchist counter-revolution in La Vendée
Revolt in the Vendée
The War in the Vendée was a Royalist rebellion and counterrevolution in the Vendée region of France during the French Revolution. The Vendée is a coastal region, located immediately south of the Loire River in western France. The uprising was closely tied to the Chouannerie, which took place in...
, the First Battalion proceeded against the insurgents. Oswald died in the battle of Ponts-de-Cee
Les Ponts-de-Cé
Les Ponts-de-Cé is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.Les Ponts-de-Cé is in the suburbs of Angers.-History:In September 1432, during the Hundred Years' War, the routiers of Rodrigo de Villandrando, in the pay of Georges de la Trémoille, held Les Ponts-de-Cé against the...
on September 14, 1793.
The Cry of Nature
John Oswald, like his contemporary RousseauJean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of 18th-century Romanticism. His political philosophy influenced the French Revolution as well as the overall development of modern political, sociological and educational thought.His novel Émile: or, On Education is a treatise...
, argued that modern society was in conflict with man's nature. Oswald argued in The Cry of Nature or an Appeal to Mercy and Justice on Behalf of the Persecuted Animals, that man is naturally equipped with feelings of mercy and compassion. If each man had to personally experience the death of the animals he ate, so argued Oswald, a vegetarian diet would be far more common. The division of labour, however, allows modern man to eat flesh without experiencing the prompting of man's natural sensitivities, while the brutalization of modern man made him inured to these sensitivities. Although Oswald gave compassion a central place in his philosophy, and was a vegetarian, he was not a pacifist, as evidenced by the fact that he died fighting in the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
Works by John Oswald
- Review of the Constitution of Great Britain, London 1784 (3rd ed.), Paris 1792
- Ranae Comicae Evangelizantes: or the Comic Frogs turned Methodist (as Sylvester Otway), 1786
- The Alarming Progress of French Politics, 1787
- Euphrosyne or an Ode to Beauty, London, 1788
- Poems, to which is added "The Humors of John Bull" an Operatic Farce, London 1789 (published under the pseudonym Sylvester Otway)
- The Cry of Nature, or An Appeal To Mercy and Justice On Behalf of the Persecuted Animals, 1791. Online at AnimalRightsHistory.org. Reprinted Edwin Mellen Pr, 2000, edited by Jason C. Hribal, ISBN 0-7734-7668-7. La Tactique du Peuple, Paris, 179? Le Gouvernement du Peuple, ou Plan de constitution pour la République universelle, Paris, 1793. De Volksregering, Of Oprichtingsplan Voor De Universele Republiek Dutch languageDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
translation by Roger Jacobs, February 2003. Both online at Athene: Webtijdschrift voor directe democratie (Athene: Web illustrated magazine for direct democracy), DutchNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
web magazine. - The British Mercury, editor.
Writings about John Oswald
- Commerce des lumières : John Oswald and the British in Paris, 1790-1793 / David V. Erdman. ISBN 0-8262-0607-7
- T. F. Henderson, ‘Oswald, John (c.1760–1793)’, rev. Ralph A. Manogue, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2006, accessed 11 April 2007