Robert Latta

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Robert Latta (born June 15, 1865 in Edinburgh , † February 18, 1932 in Tonbridge ) was a Scottish philosopher and university professor.

Life

Latta was born and raised in Edinburgh and attended Royal High School from 1875 to 1881. He completed his studies at the University of Edinburgh , under Alexander Campbell Fraser . In 1886 he graduated with the highest honors as an MA. He stayed at the university and from 1892 took a position as an assistant and lecturer in logic and metaphysics at the University of St Andrews . He stayed there for six years. In 1897 he received his doctorate in Edinburgh with a thesis on Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz . He moved to the University College in Dundee in the same capacity, which had become part of the University of St Andrews the year before. After two years on the chair, he was appointed Regius Professor of Moral Philosophy in 1900, who was orphaned after William Ritchie Sorley's departure to the Knightsbridge Professorship at the University of Cambridge .

Latta, too, only held the chair for two years, possibly because he was unfamiliar with moral philosophy . Latta moved to the University of Glasgow , where he took over the Chair of Logic and Metaphysics, founded in 1727, which was orphaned after the death of Robert Adamson . The holder of this chair also had to teach psychology at the time, which Latta accepted with enthusiasm. In 1925 his deteriorating health forced him to retire.

Teaching and Research

Latta was a thoroughly Scottish philosopher trained and paradigmatic in the country's tradition. He did not develop any fundamental innovations and did not shine through rhetorical masterpieces like some of his Scottish colleagues. In Edinburgh he studied under James Seth and Andrew Seth Pringle-Pattison . In St Andrews he assisted Henry Jones , whom he would later greet as a colleague in Glasgow. Nevertheless, he did essential work for the subject. Latta's translation of Monadology and some other key works of Leibniz's philosophical works were considered the standard work in the English-speaking world for some time. Nicholas Rescher , whose 1991 translation replaced Latta's work as the standard work, said that Latta's comments on Leibniz's work continued to be very helpful. He wrote a summary of the work of David George Ritchie , whom he assisted for several years at St Andrews. Together with Alexander MacBeath , he wrote an important textbook on logic. His lectures were excellently organized and were considered an exemplary teaching example for the clarity of their presentation of competing theories.

Honors

1926 Latta was honored with an honorary doctorate (LL.D.) from the University of Glasgow .

bibliography

  • 1898: Monadology and Other Philosophical Writings ; Commented translation of the work by Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz into English
  • 1899: On the Relationship between the Philosophy of Spinoza and that of Leibniz , Mind Vol. 8, pp. 333-356
  • 1902: The Old Mysticism and the New Pluralism: An Inaugural Address Delivered in the University of Glasgow on October 16th, 190
  • 1905: DG Ritchie: Philosophical Studies ; Editor of the summary of Ritchie's work including a memoir on Ritchie
  • 1929: The elements of logic (with Alexander MacBeath)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Stuart Brown: Dictionary of Twentieth-Century British Philosophers: 2 Volumes . tape 2 . Bloomsbury Publishing, 2005, ISBN 978-1-4411-9241-7 , pp. 548-549 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Gordon Graham (Princeton Theological Seminary): Robert Latta (1865-1932). Institute for the Study of Scottish Philosophy, University of Sioux Falls , accessed May 18, 2020 .
  3. ↑ a b Overview: Robert Latta. In: Oxford Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020 .
  4. ↑ a b c d unknown: Robert Latta. In: University of Glasgow Story website. University of Glasgow, May 21, 2008, accessed May 20, 2020 .
  5. ↑ unknown: Scottish Office, Whitehall, October 1, 1900. (PDF) In: The London Gazette. Retrieved May 20, 2020 (English, announcement of the appointment of Robert Latta as Regius Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Aberdeen).
  6. ↑ unknown: Logic and Rhetoric. In: University of Glasgow Story website. University of Glasgow, January 8, 2013, accessed May 20, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Latta, Robert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Latta, R.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish philosopher
DATE OF BIRTH June 15, 1865
PLACE OF BIRTH Edinburgh
DATE OF DEATH February 18, 1932
Place of death Tonbridge