Robert Adamson
Robert Adamson - A Famous Scottish Philosopher
Robert Adamson (1852-1902) was born in Edinburgh one of six children of a solicitor who died in 1855. His mother, duaghter of Matthew Buist, factor to Lord Haddington, dedicated herself to the task of bringing up her children as a widow. His mother took it upon herself to educate all of her children and, at the age of 14 Robert entered the University of Edinburgh from which he graduated with first class honors in mental philosophy and with prizes in every department of Edinburgh's Faculty of Arts.
Robert Adamson was clearly a very talented student and he won several scholarships; Tyndall-Bruce scholarship, Hamilton fellowship (1872), Ferguson scholarship (1872) and Shaw fellowship (1873). Following a short residency in Heidelberg (1871) he was assistant to famous Scottish philosophers, Henry Calderwood and then Alexander Campbell Fraser. In 1874 he joined the staff of the Encyclopædia Britannica wher ehe worked on the 9th edition while taking advantage of access to the Advocates' Library to study further.
In 1876 he moved to take the at Owens College, Manchester and 1883 he received the honorary degree of LL.D. (Doctor of Laws). In 1893 he went to the University of Aberdeen, and finally in 1895 to the chair of logic at the University of Glasgow, which he held till his death.
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