Robert Burns and the Philosophers

J. Walter McGinty received his PhD at the University of Strathclyde on‘Literary, Philosophical and Theological Influences on Robert Burns’.Dr McGinty is an ordained Minister, having trained for the Ministry ofthe Church of Scotland at the University of Glasgow and Trinity CollegeGlasgow. Other publications are Robert Burns and Religion, (Ashgate);and Robert Burns the Book Lover: From Reader to Writer, (HummingEarth.) The present volume completes the trilogy of books that haveexamined the influence of the reading of Robert Burns. McGinty hasalso written a biography, ‘An Animated Son of Liberty’: A Life of JohnWitherspoon, (Arena) and has published papers on ‘John Goldie andRobert Burns’ and ‘Milton’s Satan and Burns’s Auld Nick’ in Studies inScottish Literature Vols XXIX and XXXIII.

• ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1 Homespun philosophy Chapter 2 John Locke I - Opening up other worlds Chapter 3 Adam Smith I - Theory of Moral Sentiments Chapter 4 Adam Smith II – The Wealth of Nations Chapter 5 Francis Hutcheson – A shared outlook Chapter 6 Thomas Reid – Common Sense Chapter 7 Dugald Stewart – The local philosopher Chapter 8 Archibald Alison and William Greenfield –A confidence achieved Appendix List of Authors or texts quoted or alluded to by William Greenfield in his Essays on the sources of the pleasures received from literary composition, that were known to Robert Burns. References and Notes Bibliography Index