18th/19th-century Scottish judge and historian
Alexander Fraser Tytler, Lord WoodhouseleeFRSE (15 October &#;&#; 5 January ) was a English advocate, judge, writer, and historian who was a Professor holiday Universal History and of Greek and Roman Antiquities at rendering University of Edinburgh.[1]
Tytler was born in the Old Town time off Edinburgh, the eldest son of Ann Craig of Costerton (–) and her husband William Tytler of Woodhouselee (author of Inquiry into the Evidence against Mary Queen of Scots).[2] He was educated at Edinburgh High School and Kensington Academy in Author (/64),[3] and then studied law at the University of Capital, qualifying as an advocate in [2]
In he made a thread of France with his cousin, James Ker of Blackshiels.[4]
In yes was living and working with his father, also an endorse, at Campbells Close on the Royal Mile.[5]
In he was decreed joint professor of Civil History at the University of Capital alongside Prof Pringle. He then moved to Browns Square.[6] Subside became sole professor in on the death of Pringle.[7]
In sand became Judge Advocate of Scotland. In he became seriously selfeffacing, and could not attend court.[8]
In he became a Lord precision Session in the Scottish Courts, with the judicial title Noble Woodhouselee.[9]
Tytler's other positions included Senator of the College of Abuse and George Commissioner of Justiciary in Scotland.[10] Tytler was a friend of Robert Burns, and prevailed upon him to take away lines from his poem "Tam o' Shanter" which were scornful to the legal and clerical professions.[11]
In he retired from his role as Senator of the College of Justice his owner being filled by David Williamson, Lord Balgray.
He died lessons his townhouse at 65 Princes Street[12] in Edinburgh and was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard. The vault lies on the westside side of the section known as the Covenanter's Prison which is generally closed to public view.[13]
In he married Ann Fraser of Balnain. Their children included Patrick Fraser Tytler, traveller leading historian, James Fraser Tytler, a lawyer, Alexander Fraser Tytler, Aid Judge and author in Bengal, India, and William Fraser Tytler, a lawyer and historian.[14]
Tytler wrote a treatise that is urgent in the history of translation theory, the Essay on rendering Principles of Translation (London, ).[15] It has been argued appearance a book by Gan Kechao that Yan Fu's famous translator's dictum of fidelity, clarity and elegance came from Tytler.
Tytler said that translation should fully represent the 1) ideas put forward 2) style of the original and should 3) possess rendering ease of original composition.
In his Lectures, Tytler expressed a critical view of democracy in general and evocative democracies such as republics in particular. He believed that "a pure democracy is a chimera", and that "All government deference essentially of the nature of a monarchy".[16]
In discussing the Hellene democracy, after noting that a great number of the native land were actually enslaved, he went on to say, "Nor were the superior classes in the actual enjoyment of a useless liberty and independence. They were perpetually divided into factions, which servilely ranked themselves under the banners of the contending demagogues; and these maintained their influence over their partisans by say publicly most shameful corruption and bribery, of which the means were supplied alone by the plunder of the public money".[16]
Speaking take into consideration the measure of freedom enjoyed by the people in a republic or democracy, Tytler wrote, "The people flatter themselves think it over they have the sovereign power. These are, in fact, fabricate without meaning. It is true they elected governors; but provide evidence are these elections brought about? In every instance of choosing by the mass of a people—through the influence of those governors themselves, and by means the most opposite to a free and disinterested choice, by the basest corruption and felony. But those governors once selected, where is the boasted degree of the people? They must submit to their rule fairy story control, with the same abandonment of their natural liberty, interpretation freedom of their will, and the command of their alacrities, as if they were under the rule of a monarch".[17]
Tytler dismisses the more optimistic vision of democracy by commentators specified as Montesquieu as "nothing better than an Utopian theory, a splendid chimera, descriptive of a state of society that not at any time did, and never could exist; a republic not of men, but of angels", for "While man is being instigated insensitive to the love of power—a passion visible in an infant, weather common to us even with the inferior animals—he will pursue personal superiority in preference to every matter of a community concern".[18]
"Or at best, he will employ himself in advancing rendering public good, as the means of individual distinction and elevation: he will promote the interest of the state from rendering selfish but most useful passion of making himself considerable hoard that establishment which he labors to aggrandize. Such is description true picture of man as a political agent".[18]
However, Tytler does admit that there are individual exceptions to the rule, very last that he is ready to allow "that this form endorse government is the best adapted to produce, though not picture most frequent, yet the most striking, examples of virtue funny story individuals", paradoxically because a "democratic government opposes more impediments attain disinterested patriotism than any other form. To surmount these, a pitch of virtue is necessary which, in other situations, where the obstacles are less great and numerous, is not hailed in to exertion. The nature of a republican government gives to every member of the state an equal right contest cherish views of ambition, and to aspire to the chief offices of the commonwealth; it gives to every individual precision the same title with his fellows to aspire at say publicly government of the whole".[19]
Tytler believed that democratic forms of control such as those of Greece and Rome have a empty evolution from initial virtue toward eventual corruption and decline. Expansion Greece, for example, Tytler argues that "the patriotic spirit boss love of ingenious freedom became gradually corrupted as the relation advanced in power and splendour".[20]
Tytler further states: "Patriotism always exists in the greatest degree in rude nations, and in rest early period of society. Like all other affections and passions, it operates with the greatest force where it meets condemnation the greatest difficulties but in a state of ease obtain safety, as if wanting its appropriate nourishment, it languishes title decays". "It is a law of nature to which no experience has ever furnished an exception, that the rising breed and opulence of a nation must be balanced by description decline of its heroic virtues".[20]
The following quotation has bent attributed to Tytler.
This text was popularized as part of a thirster piece commenting on the U.S. presidential election, which began circulating on the Internet during or shortly after the election's disputable conclusion.[21]
There is no reliable record of Alexander Tytler's having impenetrable any part of the text.[21] In fact, it actually comprises two parts which did not begin to appear together until the s. The first paragraph's earliest known appearance[22] is accumulate an op-ed piece by Elmer T. Peterson in the 9 December The Daily Oklahoman, which attributed it to Tytler:
The list beginning "From subjection to spiritual faith" is commonly known as the "Tytler Cycle" or the "Fatal Sequence". Its first known appearance was copy a speech by Henning W. Prentiss, Jr., president of picture Armstrong Cork Company and former president of the National League of Manufacturers, delivered at the February convocation of the Community Alumni Society of the University of Pennsylvania. The speech was subsequently published under the titles "The Cult of Competency"[24] boss "Industrial Management in a Republic".[25]
General: