Alexander Bain

Alexander Bain ( born June 11, 1818 in Aberdeen, † September 18, 1903 in Aberdeen) was a Scottish philosopher, psychologist and educator.

Alexander Bain visited Aberdeen in the Gilcomston School and helped in the Leisure his father - a former soldier who worked as a weaver by his dismissal from military service - in weaving. At school, his good performances fell to a teacher who taught at Marischal College, later it emerged University of Aberdeen at the same time. Thanks to its promotion was Bain 1836, taken at the age of 18 years into Marischal College. At the University he worked equally with mathematics, physics, natural philosophy and moral philosophy, but also continued to assist his father in weaving. Towards the end of his studies, he began, articles part due to technical issues for the London and Westminster Review to write. At this time he made ​​the acquaintance of John Stuart Mill, whose empiricist doctrines greatly influenced him and with whom he remained friends until his death.

After he had completed his studies with a master's degree, he became in 1845 professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at Anderson 's University in Glasgow. In 1848 he moved to London, where he was employed under Edwin Chadwick to the Board of Health. In 1860 he went back to Aberdeen, where he attended the University in the office of the chair holder for Logic - teaching English - as is common in the 1860s. The English Grammar written by him and his commitment to a methodical thoughtful teaching English in the Scottish schools led to a modernization of the teaching of the subject.

Alexander Bain (ie not on introspection ) is regarded as an early proponent of scientific psychology, which returns the subjective experience and all knowledge on sense impressions and not on purely internal operations. Bain is considered together with Mill and others as one of the founders of the English-Scottish school of associationism.

Works (selection)

  • The Early Life of James Mill In: Mind, Volume 1, No. 1, 1876, pp. 97-116
  • Spencer's " The Principles of Sociology ." In: Mind, Volume 1, No. 1, 1876, pp. 128-131
  • Mr. G. H. Lewes on the postulate of Experience. In: Mind, Volume, No. 1, 1876, p 148
  • Pleasure and Pain. In: Mind ( New Series ), Volume 1, No. 2, pp. 161-187, doi, : 10.1093/mind/1.2.161
Empiricism Henry Rutgers Marshall Mind (journal) Integrated Authority File
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