Alexander Bain - Philosopher

He spent his last days in privacy at Aberdeen where he passed away. Before death, he requested not to place any stone upon his grave.

His autobiography was published in 1904.

Born as the son of a weaver and veteran soldier George Bain and Margaret Paul in Aberdeen, Scotland, Alexander Bain left his school at the age of eleven to work as a weaver.

He attended lectures at the Mechanics’ Institutes of Aberdeen and at the Aberdeen Public Library before attending Marischal College in 1836. There he came under the influence of several professors.

During this time, he met with John Stuart Mill, a British philosopher and political economist. His fist article titled “Electrotype and Daguerreotype” appeared in “Westminster Review” in 1840.

During the publication of his fist article, he was pursuing his undergraduate degree. Later, he studied mental philosophy, mathematics and physics. He completed his graduation with a Master of Arts with Highest Honors.

He worked as a substitute for D. Glennie, the professor of Moral Philosophy at Marischal for three successive terms. Besides writing for “Westminster Review”, he assisted John Stuart Mill with the revision of the manuscript of “System of Logic”.

His first review of this book appeared in “London and Westminster” in 1843. In 1845, Anderson’s University Glasgow appointed him as the Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy.

After one year, he left his job and remained busy with his writing work. He shifted to London in 1848, to work in the Board of Health under Si Edwin Chadwick. Here he became involved in social reform activities.

It was during this period when he became a member of the intellectual circle whose members were personalities like George Grote, an English historian and John Stuart Mill.

His fist major work “The Senses and the Intellect” was published in 1855. From 1857 to 1862, he was the Examiner in Logic and Moral Philosophy at the University of London.

In his book “Logic”, published in 1870, he discussed about the doctrine of the conservation of energy and application of the principles of logic to the various sciences. Based on John Stuart Mill, he wrote this book for the use of students.