Elizabeth Hamilton's Scottish Associationism: Early Nineteenth-Century Philosophy of Mind

Abstract

This article compares early nineteenth-century English and Scottish theories of the mind and the way that it develops to findings in today's developmental psychology and neuroscience through a close observation of the work of Elizabeth Hamilton (1756–1816). Hamilton was a Scottish writer and philosopher who produced three pedagogical works in her lifetime, consisting of her carefully formulated philosophy of mind and practical suggestions to caretakers and educators. Although Hamilton has received relatively little attention in modern philosophical literature, her understanding of the mind and the way it develops—based on her nuanced understanding of associationism and Scottish faculty psychology—is overwhelmingly supported by empirical findings today. In addition to utilizing Hamilton's work for the sake of understanding early nineteenth-century philosophy of mind, I argue that a large portion of Hamilton's work should be used to inform future research programs, early caregiving guides, and educational methods.

Women Philosophers in Nineteenth-Century Britain

“…. ; and it did indeed appear that she was, in relation to the ²¹ Martineau's views recall those of Elizabeth Hamilton, who likewise combined associationism with a belief in perfectibility and hence in the importance of education; see Gokcekus (2019) and Hamilton (1801). Martineau knew Hamilton's work (HM to Philip Pearsall Carpenter, 12 December 1854, HMCL 3: 337).…”

“…³⁴ On the Memoirs, see Boyle (2021c); on Hamilton's educational philosophy, see Gokcekus (2019). ³⁵ For further discussion of this, see Mermin (1993).…”