Background
He was born to a successful Scottish brewer, Hugh Cleghorn, and Jean Hamilton, and died in 1754, aged 36.
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William Cleghorn
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William Cleghorn held the Chair of Pneumatics and Moral Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh from 1745 until his death in 1754. Four volumes of notes on Cleghorn"s lectures on moral philosophy from 1746-1747 are stored at the University of Edinburgh library. In 1744 and 1745, Hume and Cleghorn were competing candidates for the position of Chair of Pneumatics and Moral Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh.
Hume was arguably the better of the two candidates.
He is clearly of greater historical importance. However, the town council appointed Cleghorn to the position on the 5th of June 1745.
lieutenant has been suggested that a clique of people who disliked Hume"s personal beliefs arranged for Cleghorn to be given the Chair"s position at the University. However, some historians believe that Cleghorn was appointed to the position, not because of rivalry based on personal beliefs, but rather because of rivalry between two competing schools of thought on moral philosophy.
lieutenant is thought that one of the characters in Ferguson"s philosophical work Dialogue on a Highland Jaunt is based on Cleghorn.
lieutenant has also been claimed that Cleghorn recommended, shortly before his death, that Ferguson be given the Chair of Pneumatics and Moral Philosophy once he had died. Ferguson was not given the Chair at this time, although he was given it later.
