Abstract

In his examination of Sir William Hamilton's Philosophy, John Stuart Mill criticized Hamilton's thought as a tissue of inconsistencies. The author, here, examines Mill's criticisms in detail, examining how Mill misinterpreted Hamilton. He also chronicles the decline and fall of Hamilton's reputation and discusses his relationship to the Scottish School of Philosophy, especially Reid. He criticizes the Oil/Water thesis that Hamilton is merely an unstable mixture of Reid and Kant, stressing the importance of Aristotle and scholasticism for Hamilton's thought.