Iain Hamilton Grant
Encyclopedia
Iain Hamilton Grant is a lecturer at the University of the West of England
in Bristol
, United Kingdom
. His research interests include post-Kantian European philosophy, especially Philosophical Idealism, contemporary philosophy, the history and philosophy of science, the philosophy of technology, the philosophy of the body, and the history and problems associated with the autonomization of the human and socio-cultural sciences with respect to the physical. He is often associated with the recent philosophical current known as Speculative Realism
.
Grant was initially known as a translator of the prominent French philosophers Jean Baudrillard
and Jean-François Lyotard
. His reputation as an independent philosopher comes primarily from his book Philosophies of Nature After Schelling (2006). In this book, Grant heavily criticizes the repeated attempts of philosophers to "reverse Platonism
," and argues that they should try to reverse Kant
instead. He is highly critical of the recent prominence of ethics
and the philosophy of life
in continental philosophy
, which in his view merely reinforce the undue privilege of human being. Against these trends, Grant calls for a renewed treatment of the inorganic realm.
Grant views Plato
and Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling
as his major allies among classic philosophical figures, and generally opposes both Aristotle
and Kant
for what he sees as their tendency to reduce reality to its expressibility for humans.
Grant is not only influenced by Plato and Schelling but the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze
as well.
A review of the book in the Notre Dame Philosophical Review
University of the West of England
The University of the West of England is a university based in the English city of Bristol. Its main campus is at Frenchay, about five miles north of the city centre...
in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. His research interests include post-Kantian European philosophy, especially Philosophical Idealism, contemporary philosophy, the history and philosophy of science, the philosophy of technology, the philosophy of the body, and the history and problems associated with the autonomization of the human and socio-cultural sciences with respect to the physical. He is often associated with the recent philosophical current known as Speculative Realism
Speculative realism
Speculative realism is an emerging movement in contemporary philosophy which defines itself loosely in its stance of metaphysical realism against the dominant forms of post-Kantian philosophy or what it terms correlationism. Speculative realism takes its name from a conference held at Goldsmiths...
.
Grant was initially known as a translator of the prominent French philosophers Jean Baudrillard
Jean Baudrillard
Jean Baudrillard was a French sociologist, philosopher, cultural theorist, political commentator, and photographer. His work is frequently associated with postmodernism and post-structuralism.-Life:...
and Jean-François Lyotard
Jean-François Lyotard
Jean-François Lyotard was a French philosopher and literary theorist. He is well known for his articulation of postmodernism after the late 1970s and the analysis of the impact of postmodernity on the human condition...
. His reputation as an independent philosopher comes primarily from his book Philosophies of Nature After Schelling (2006). In this book, Grant heavily criticizes the repeated attempts of philosophers to "reverse Platonism
Platonism
Platonism is the philosophy of Plato or the name of other philosophical systems considered closely derived from it. In a narrower sense the term might indicate the doctrine of Platonic realism...
," and argues that they should try to reverse Kant
KANT
KANT is a computer algebra system for mathematicians interested in algebraic number theory, performing sophisticated computations in algebraic number fields, in global function fields, and in local fields. KASH is the associated command line interface...
instead. He is highly critical of the recent prominence of ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
and the philosophy of life
Philosophy of Life
Lebensphilosophie is a philosophical school of thought which emphasises the meaning, value and purpose of life as the foremost focus of philosophy...
in continental philosophy
Continental philosophy
Continental philosophy, in contemporary usage, refers to a set of traditions of 19th and 20th century philosophy from mainland Europe. This sense of the term originated among English-speaking philosophers in the second half of the 20th century, who used it to refer to a range of thinkers and...
, which in his view merely reinforce the undue privilege of human being. Against these trends, Grant calls for a renewed treatment of the inorganic realm.
Grant views Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
and Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling
Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling
Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling , later von Schelling, was a German philosopher. Standard histories of philosophy make him the midpoint in the development of German idealism, situating him between Fichte, his mentor prior to 1800, and Hegel, his former university roommate and erstwhile friend...
as his major allies among classic philosophical figures, and generally opposes both Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
and Kant
KANT
KANT is a computer algebra system for mathematicians interested in algebraic number theory, performing sophisticated computations in algebraic number fields, in global function fields, and in local fields. KASH is the associated command line interface...
for what he sees as their tendency to reduce reality to its expressibility for humans.
Grant is not only influenced by Plato and Schelling but the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze
Gilles Deleuze
Gilles Deleuze , was a French philosopher who, from the early 1960s until his death, wrote influentially on philosophy, literature, film, and fine art. His most popular works were the two volumes of Capitalism and Schizophrenia: Anti-Oedipus and A Thousand Plateaus , both co-written with Félix...
as well.
Original works
- Philosophies of Nature After Schelling (London and New York: Continuum, 2006)
A review of the book in the Notre Dame Philosophical Review
English translations
- Jean Baudrillard, Symbolic Exchange and Death, transl. by Iain Hamilton Grant (London: Sage, 1993).
- Jean-François Lyotard, The Libidinal Economy, transl. by Iain Hamilton Grant (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1993).