Francis Bowen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | September 8, 1811  Charlestown, Massachusetts |
| Died | January 22, 1890 (aged 78) Boston |
| Alma mater | |
| Employer | |
| Signature | |
 | |
Francis Bowen (/ˈboʊən/BOH-ən; September 8, 1811 – January 22, 1890) was anAmerican philosopher, writer, and educationalist.
He was born inCharlestown, Massachusetts. He was educated at Mayhew School, Boston,Phillips Exeter Academy,[1] andHarvard University, graduating from the latter in 1833. While attending Harvard, he taught school atHampton Falls, New Hampshire, andConcord,Lexington andNorthborough, Massachusetts.[2] After graduating from Harvard, he taught for two years atPhillips Exeter Academy, returning to Harvard from 1835 to 1839 to tutor in Greek[2] and teach intellectual philosophy and political economy. In 1839 he went to Europe, and, while living in Paris, metSismondi,de Gerando, and other scholars. He returned toCambridge in 1841 and devoted himself to literature. He was editor and proprietor of theNorth American Review from 1843 to 1854, writing, during this time, about one fourth of the articles in it. In 1848 and 1849, he delivered lectures before theLowell Institute on the application ofmetaphysical andethical science to the evidences of religion.[3]
In 1850 he was appointed McLean professor of history at Harvard, but his appointment was disapproved by the board of overseers on account of political opinions he had expressed concerning theHungarian revolution of 1848. Bowen had written two articles on Hungary for hisNorth American Review:[3][4]The War of Races in Hungary[5] (January 1850) andThe Rebellion of the Slavonic, Wallachian, and German Hungarians against the Magyars[6] (January 1851).Robert Carter wrote a series of articles for the BostonAtlas in reply. These articles, republished in a pamphlet asThe Hungarian Controversy (Boston, 1852), are said to have been the cause of the rejection by the overseers of Bowen's appointment.[7]
In the winter of 1850, Bowen lectured again before the Lowell Institute on political economy, and in 1852 on the origin and development of the English and American constitutions. In 1853, on the election ofJames Walker to the presidency of Harvard, Bowen was appointed his successor as Alford professor of natural religion, moral philosophy and civil polity. This time the appointment was approved almost unanimously by the overseers, and he occupied the chair until 1889.[3] After 1858, he lectured before the Lowell Institute on the English metaphysicians and philosophers fromFrancis Bacon toSir William Hamilton.
In 1876 he was a member of the United States Silver Commission which was appointed to consider currency reform. In 1877, he wrote the minority report in which he opposed the restoration of thedouble standard and the remonetization of silver.[3] In 1888, he was asked to endorse theRepublican Party's tariff platform, but replied by publishing an article (Nation, November 8, 1888) denouncing the current tariff as tyranny.[1]
In philosophy and metaphysics, Bowen upheld the views ofGeorge Berkeley andJohn Locke and opposed those ofImmanuel Kant,Johann Gottlieb Fichte,Victor Cousin,Auguste Comte, andJohn Stuart Mill.[8] The latter replied to his criticism in the 3rd edition of hisLogic. Inpolitical economy, Bowen opposed the doctrines ofAdam Smith on free trade,Thomas Malthus on population, andDavid Ricardo on rent. He took pains to trace the influence of our form of government and condition of society upon economical questions. A significant philosophical interest was harmonizing philosophy with Christianity.[1] Piety marked his writing and teaching.[2]
According to Quinton[9] the philosophersC. S. Peirce,William James, and their early associateChauncey Wright were all Bowen’s pupils.
He died inBoston, Massachusetts.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help);de Tocqueville, Alexis (1864). Bowen, Francis (ed.).Democracy in America. Vol. II. Translated byReeve, Henry (4th ed.). Cambridge: Sever and Francis. Retrieved26 May 2023 – viaInternet Archive.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bowen, Francis".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 342.