George Turnbull

George Turnbull (1698- 1748) was born in Alloa, a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, the son of a Presbyterian clergyman. He entered the University of Edinburgh in 1711. He did not finish his studies for a Master of Arts degree, but he transferred to the divinity school at Edinburgh in 1717. He apparently soon became disillusioned with a career in ministry in the Church of Scotland, and he obtained an appointment at the Marischal College in Aberdeen, where he taught moral philosophy from 1721 to 1727. Thomas Reid studied under him during this period. After this date he did some tutoring and traveling, without a durable assignment. He died in the Hague, Holland, during one of his travels.[1] Turnbull has not being as studied as other members of our group, but we find that he has some very valuable insights on the social value of knowledge. James McCosh (1811-1894), a Scottish philosopher who became president of Princeton University, highlighted the importance of his influence on Reid and his pioneering in applying the scientific method to the study of human nature: "Turnbull was the first metaphysician of the Scottish- I believe of any- school to announce unambiguously and categorically that  we ought to proceed in the method of induction in investigating the human mind."[2] An excellent recent anthology[3] may help awaken interest in this neglected thinker.

Publications

Turnbull major publications were The Principles of Moral and Christian Philosophy (1740) and Observations upon Liberal Education (1742) He also published several works dealing with Christian Apologetics. Turnbull has high praise for Francis Hutcheson: "The writer from whom I have borrowed most, is Mr. Hutcheson, professor of Moral Philosophy in the University of Glasgow, a teacher and writer who hath done eminent service to virtue and religion in both ways, and still continues indefatigably so to do."[4] This acknowledgment would refer to Hutcheson's earlier work, since Turnbull Principles predated the first published book on this subject by Francis Hutcheson (Latin edition of the Short Introduction in 1742), but a great deal of Hutcheson text material was in private circulation before this. In reality, they were both influenced by Lord Shaftesbury (1671-1713), whom they both reference in their works.

[1] M.A. Stewart, Paul Wood, "Introduction," in Education for Life, Correspondence and Writings on Religion and Practical Philosophy: George Turnbull, Knud Haakonssen, General Editor (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2014) x-xvi.

[2] James McCosh, The Scottish Philosophy (New York: Robert Carter and Brothers, 1875), 99.

[3] Knud Haakonssen, General Editor, Education for Life, Correspondence and Writings on Religion and Practical Philosophy: George Turnbull.

[4] George Turnbull, Principles of Moral Philosophy (London: John Noon, 1740), x.