‘The Modern Disciple of the Academy’: Hume, Shelley, and Sir William Drummond

Abstract

Sir William Drummond ( 1770?-1828 ) enjoyed considerable notoriety in the early nineteenth century as the author of the Academical Questions ( 1805 ), a manifesto for immaterialism that is at the same time a creative synthesis of ancient and modern forms of scepticism. In this paper I advance an interpretation of Drummond's work that emphasises his extensive employment and adaptation of Hume's own ‘Academical or Sceptical Philosophy’. I also document the impact of the Academical Questions on the contemporary philosophical scene, including its decisive influence on Shelley's philosophical development.