Dugald Stewart Monument

If you are in the beautiful city of Edinburgh, you definitely should take the time to walk around to experience some of the many important monuments in the area. One such important structure to see is the Dugald Stewart Monument.

The Dugald Stewart Monument on Edinburgh's Calton Hill

This structure is located on top of Calton Hill and is hard to miss because it is located in such a central position in the Edinburgh skyline. The following includes some basic information about the Dugald Stewart Monument to help you understand the importance of this structure.

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Edinburgh’s Dugald Stewart Monument In Detail

The Dugald Stewart Monument was built to memorialize the important Scottish philosopher Dugald Stewart. It was built in 1831 and was the design of the architect William Henry Playfair. The monument is inspired by and modeled after the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, a structure located in Athens, Greece. There are many other Greek-inspired pieces of architecture in the area, and thus, the Dugald Stewart Monument fits well situated near such structures as the National Monument. The Monument is made out of yellow-grey sandstone taken from Humbie, West Lothian.

The base of the Dugald Stewart Monument bearing its namesake's dates of birth and death

Though a prominent philosopher during his time period and close friends with the famous Adam Smith, Dugald Stewart is not widely known today. Born in 1753, Dugald Stewart is widely considered to be one of the greatest Scottish Enlightenment thinkers. He was a Professor of Moral Philosophy at Edinburgh University. During his lifetime, he was a leading figure of the Scottish school of Common Sense Philosophy along with Thomas Reid, someone who would influence many of Stewart’s ideas.

The Dugald Stewart Monument honors the originality of Stewart’s work and his importance to Scottish Philosophy. Though Stewart took Reid’s ideas of psychological method and common sense doctrine and included elements of moderate empiricism and French ideologists. His work was said to influence a great number of philosophers who followed him. Today, the Dugald Stewart Monument is a much-visited monument that marks the Edinburgh skyline. If you are in this city, seeing this structure in person is sure to impress.

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