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Georg Frederik StoutEnglish idealist philosopher, psychologist
Date of Birth: 06.01.1860
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
- George Frederick Stout (1860-1944)
- Academic Career and Research
- Professorship and Legacy
- Philosophical Development
- Later Years and Death
George Frederick Stout (1860-1944)
Early Life and EducationGeorge Frederick Stout was born on January 6, 1860, in South Shields, Durham, England. As a student at the University of Cambridge, he excelled in classical philosophy, metaphysics, and moral science, earning his Bachelor of Arts in 1882 and his Master of Arts in 1885.
Academic Career and Research
After obtaining his degrees, Stout worked as a research fellow and lecturer in psychology at St. John's College, Cambridge. He subsequently became the editor of the journal "Mind" from 1891 to 1920. In 1894, he was appointed Lecturer in Moral Science at Cambridge.
Stout held various teaching positions throughout his career, including Lecturer in Comparative Psychology at the University of Aberdeen (1896-1898) and Lecturer in Mental Philosophy at the University of Oxford (1898-1903). He participated in the seminal collection "Personal Idealism" published in 1902.
Professorship and Legacy
From 1903 until his retirement in 1936, Stout served as Professor of Logic and Metaphysics at the University of St. Andrews, where he established an experimental psychology laboratory. His contributions to the field were marked by his adherence to the method of introspection.
Stout rejected the associationist approach to perception, arguing that elements of experience could not be reduced to isolated components. He emphasized the interconnectedness of mental processes and the impossibility of separating mind and body through empirical investigation.
Philosophical Development
Influenced by his mentor James Ward, Stout viewed consciousness as comprising cognitive, affective, and volitional elements. He expanded on Franz Brentano's notion of the principle of subjective activity. As his philosophical journey progressed, Stout transitioned from pragmatism to realism and ultimately to a religious philosophy.
Later Years and Death
In the 1930s, Stout emerged as a vocal opponent of emergent evolution. In 1939, he moved to Australia, where he took up the chair of Moral and Political Philosophy at the University of Sydney. Throughout his career, Stout dedicated himself to mentoring young philosophers and left a lasting impact on the development of philosophy. He passed away in 1944.
