James Hutchison Stirling was a Scottish idealist philosopher and physician. His work The Secret of Hegel gave great impetus to the study of Hegelian philosophy both in Britain and in the United States, and it was also accepted as an authoritative work on Hegel's philosophy in Germany and Italy.
Biography
James Hutchison Stirling was born in Glasgow, Scotland, the 5th son of William Stirling and Elizabeth Christie. William was a wealthy textile manufacturer who was a partner in the Glasgow firm of James Hutchison & Co., which manufactured muslin. William was known for his deeply-held religious views, many of which strongly influenced his son James. Stirling studied at Young's Academy in Glasgow, followed by 9 years of education at the University of Glasgow, where he studied medicine, history, and classics. He became a Licentiate and Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Stirling married Jane Hunter Mair, an old family friend, on 28 April 1847 in Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The couple had seven children, as follows: Jessie Jane Stirling , Elizabeth Margaret Stirling, Amelia Hutchison Stirling, Florence Hutchison Stirling, Lucy Stirling, William Stirling, and David Stirling. Stirling's daughter Amelia wrote many books on historical subjects, and she was the joint-translator - with William Hale White - of Spinoza's Ethics. She also wrote a biography of her father James titled James Hutchison Stirling: His Life and Work. Stirling's daughter Florence won the Scottish Ladies' Championship 5 times. After receiving a large inheritance from his father's estate in 1851, Stirling left his medical practice. He then set out to learn French and German, for the purpose of being able to better understand continental philosophical trends. In pursuit of this goal, he moved his family briefly to Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, then to Paris for 18 months, then to St. Servan for four and a half years, and then finally to Heidelberg, Germany. In November 1857, Stirling and his family took up residence in London, where they lived for about 3 years. After this, in 1860 Stirling returned to Edinburgh - his address there was 4 Laverock Bank Road, Trinity, Edinburgh - which then became his permanent residence until the end of his life, and where he wrote on the philosophy of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and many other subjects. The primary result of his comprehensive Hegel studies was his influential work The Secret of Hegel. One of Stirling's other major philosophical works - Philosophy and Theology - focuses not on Hegelian philosophical topics, but on Charles Darwin's evolutionary theories. Frederick Copleston wrote "...we may be inclined to smile at J. H. Stirling's picture of Hegel as the great champion of Christianity." In his final years he lived at 4 Laverockbank Road in Trinity, Edinburgh. Stirling died in Edinburgh. He is buried in Warriston Cemetery on the north side of the city. His grave lies in the centre of the long, upper section north of the vaults, facing south onto an east–west path.
- In this work Stirling recollects views on Darwin's theory of evolution, including that of Thomas Brown and others, stating: "it is the theory involved which it is also my endeavour, with all honour, to refute." Stirling states "it is not by any means necessary that an evolutionist should be also a Darwinian."
