George Campbell (minister) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids George Campbell
Born	25 December 1719 (1719-12-25) Aberdeen, Scotland
Died	6 April 1796 (1796-04-07) (aged 76) Aberdeen, Scotland
Alma mater	University of Aberdeen University of Edinburgh
Era	Enlightenment
Region	Scotland
School	Empiricism/enlightenment
Main interests	Rhetoric, theology, language, common sense, human nature, faculty psychology, religion, Christian apologetics
Influences John Locke, Thomas Reid, Francis Bacon, Quintilian, Augustine of Hippo
Influenced The Philosophy of Rhetoric, is considered by many, the most important work in rhetorical theory of the Enlightenment.

George Campbell (born December 25, 1719 – died April 6, 1796) was an important Scottish thinker during the Age of Enlightenment. He was a church minister and a university professor. Campbell was very interested in rhetoric, which is the art of speaking or writing well to persuade people. He believed that learning rhetoric would help his students become better preachers. He also thought that new ideas from the Enlightenment would change how people understood rhetoric.

Early Life and Education

George Campbell was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, on December 25, 1719. When he was 15, he went to Marischal College. There, he studied subjects like logic (how to reason), ethics (right and wrong), and natural philosophy (early science).

After getting his master's degree in 1738, Campbell first decided to study law. He worked as an apprentice in Edinburgh. However, he soon became more interested in theology, which is the study of religion. He started attending lectures at the University of Edinburgh.

Becoming a Minister

Campbell returned to Aberdeen and studied to become a minister. He studied at both King's and Marischal Colleges. Because of political unrest in Scotland, his exams were delayed until 1746. After passing, he was allowed to preach. Within two years, he became a minister in the parish of Banchory Ternan.

Return to Aberdeen

Campbell's reputation as a scholar grew during his time as a minister. He started translating the gospels (parts of the Christian Bible). Around 1750, he began writing his famous book, The Philosophy of Rhetoric.

In 1757, the leaders of Aberdeen invited him to become a minister in the city. This brought him into the center of a lively group of thinkers. In 1759, he became the principal of Marischal College. He became very involved in university life.

Joining the Aberdeen Philosophical Society

While at Marischal College, Campbell helped start the Aberdeen Philosophical Society. Other important members included the philosopher Thomas Reid. This group admired Francis Bacon, a famous scientist. Their goal was to explore how the human mind works.

Many important books came from this society. Campbell's own work, The Philosophy of Rhetoric, was first shared as talks within this group. His ideas about how much we can trust our senses were influenced by his friend Thomas Reid.

Major Works and Ideas

Campbell's first major book was A Dissertation in Miracles (1762). In this book, he argued against the philosopher David Hume. Hume had questioned whether miracles could truly happen. Even though they disagreed, Campbell and Hume respected each other.

Thanks to the success of Miracles, Campbell became a professor of divinity at Marischal College in 1770. He taught students how to become good ministers. He gave lectures on Church history and on how to preach well. These lectures were later published as books.

After finishing The Philosophy of Rhetoric (1776), Campbell also published several sermons. He completed his lifelong goal of translating The Four Gospels in 1789.

Campbell's Theory of Moral Reasoning

Campbell believed that our minds have different parts that help us make moral decisions. He saw moral reasoning as a step-by-step process. It starts with understanding a situation and then involves our imagination and desires.

Campbell listed seven things that influence a person's decision to act:

• Probability: How likely something is to happen.
• Plausibility: How believable something seems.
• Importance: How much something matters.
• Proximity of time: How soon something will happen.
• Connection: How things are linked together.
• Relation: How things relate to each other.
• Interest in the consequences: How much we care about the results.

All these factors play a big part in how people act.

Campbell's Legacy

An Enlightened Thinker

Campbell's writings were mostly about teaching and being a minister. But his ideas were shaped by the Age of Enlightenment. He believed that the Enlightenment helped make Christianity more reasonable and practical. He thought faith and enlightened thinking could work together.

Campbell focused on Enlightenment ideas like rhetoric, good taste, and genius. This was likely because of his time in the Aberdeen Philosophical Society. His effort to connect rhetoric with psychology came from Francis Bacon's ideas about knowledge. The Philosophy of Rhetoric shows Campbell's use of scientific investigation and inductive methodology. These were key ideas of the Enlightenment.

Campbell also looked for "natural evidences" in his writing. This means he looked for proof in the natural world. He always put his methods before his beliefs. He also valued tolerance, moderation, and improvement.

Understanding the Human Mind

Campbell was influenced by John Locke's ideas about how we learn. Locke believed that all knowledge comes from our senses and experiences. Campbell used this idea to study rhetoric. He thought that if rhetoric was based on how our minds work, it would be more effective.

He believed that our senses are the basis for what we believe. So, a good speech or writing should make the reader feel a concept as strongly as if they were experiencing it directly.

Campbell, like many thinkers of his time, believed in a universal human nature. He thought that the basic rules of good taste are the same for everyone. He said that tropes (like metaphors) and figures of speech are not just clever tricks. Instead, they come from the basic ways our minds work. Because human nature has stayed the same, these traits must be universal.

Campbell believed that people act based on clear reasons. Therefore, rhetoric should also aim to affect these parts of the mind. To persuade people well, Campbell thought a speaker should adjust their message to the audience's needs. He said, "whatever be the ultimate intention of the orator... he must speak so as to be understood, or he speaks to no purpose."

He divided the audience's needs into four categories:

• Understanding: Explaining a topic clearly with proof.
• Imagination: Making the audience feel wonder through style and vivid details.
• Passions: Stirring up emotions and connecting with feelings.
• Will: Persuading people to take action by combining arguments with strong feelings.

Evidence and Reasoning

Campbell thought that a good speaker must understand how evidence and human nature are connected. He divided evidence into two main types: intuitive and deductive.

Intuitive evidence is convincing just by being seen or heard. It feels "natural" and doesn't need more proof to be believed. Campbell said intuitive evidence comes from three sources: abstraction (ideas), consciousness (our own awareness), and common sense. These help us understand different kinds of truth.

Deductive evidence is not immediately clear. It needs to be shown through logic or facts. It comes from comparing ideas. Deductive evidence can be either demonstrative (about abstract ideas) or moral (about facts).

Campbell also described four types of evidence used in reasoning:

• Experience: How past events shape our reasoning for the present and future.
• Analogy: Comparing situations to understand them better and plan for the future.
• Testimony: Information given through written or spoken words.
• Calculations of chances: Using reason to make assumptions when things are uncertain.

Campbell's View on Aristotle

Campbell found four problems with Aristotle's method of reasoning called the syllogism:

• It was presented as a way to discover new ideas, but Campbell thought it was only good for presenting ideas already known.
• Its strict rules don't always guarantee that the conclusion is true.
• It often leads to conclusions that are already obvious from the starting point.
• While it might sometimes prevent mistakes, it can also mislead and isn't the best way to check for carelessness.

Campbell and David Hume

In his essay Of Miracles, David Hume questioned how much we should trust stories about miracles. He said we believe testimony based on our experience. If a story goes against what we usually experience, we should probably reject it.

Campbell wrote A Dissertation on Miracles to argue against Hume. He believed Hume misunderstood how important testimony is. Campbell argued that trusting what others tell us is a natural part of human nature. He pointed out that children easily believe what adults tell them. It's only as they get older and become more skeptical that they start to question testimony. This, he said, shows that our trust in witnesses comes before our own experience.

Campbell also argued that the number of witnesses is very important. If many witnesses tell the same story and there's no sign they planned it together, their testimony should be believed. He said that testimony can provide absolute certainty, even for miraculous events.

Works by George Campbell

Writing

• A Dissertation on Miracles (1762)

  This book discusses the relationship between reason and faith. Campbell explains that miracles are important and should not be easily dismissed.

• The Philosophy of Rhetoric (1776)

  This book has three parts. Book I explains the basics of classical rhetoric. Book II talks about the rules for using language. Book III looks at different writing styles.

• The Four Gospels (1789)

  Campbell considered this his most important work. It's a 1,500-page translation of the Four Gospels from the Bible. It also includes his thoughts on translating and understanding these ancient texts.

Sermons and Lectures

Campbell's sermons and lectures give us a good look into his ideas and studies.

• "The Spirit of the Gospel: A Spirit neither of Superstition nor of Enthusiasm" (1771)

  Campbell defends Christianity against critics. He argues that true Christianity is not about fear or harsh rules.

• "The Nature, Extent, and Importance of Duty of Allegiance" (1777)

  He argues that rebelling against the law is wrong. True freedom, he says, comes from following the law.

• "The Success of the First Publishers of the Gospel: A Proof of its Truth" (1777)

  Campbell argues that early Christianity succeeded even though the world was against it. He believed this success could only be explained by supernatural help.

• "The Happy Influence of Religion on Civil Society" (1779)

  Campbell argues that religion is needed for a peaceful society. This is because it provides moral rules that laws alone cannot.

• "An Address to the People of Scotland upon the Alarms that Have Been Raised in Regard to Popery" (1779)

  He argued that persecuting people for their beliefs is wrong and doesn't work. He also said that Catholics were not a threat to Britain.

• Lectures on Ecclesiastical History (Published after his death, 1800)

  These lectures were part of his divinity course. They look at how the church developed over time.

• Lectures on Systematic Theology and Pulpit Eloquence (Published after his death, 1807)

  These lectures teach a method for studying the Bible and understanding Christian beliefs.

• Lectures on the Pastoral Character (Published after his death, 1811)

  These practical lectures give advice to future ministers on good qualities to develop and bad ones to avoid.

Quotations

• "That we may reflect light on others, we must ourselves be previously enlightened."