Thomas Carlyle, Scotland’s Migrant Philosophers, and Australasian Idealism

Abstract

Abstract That the great Scottish man of letters Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) exercised a formative influence over late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century ‘British Idealism’ has long been recognized by historians. Through works such as Sartor Resartus (1833–1834), Heroes and Hero-Worship (1841), Past and Present (1843), and Latter-Day Pamphlets (1850), Carlyle transmitted his ideas regarding the immanence of the divine in nature and man, the infinite character of duty, and the ethical role of the state to a generation of subsequent philosophers. The following article will extend this insight, arguing that through the agency of an array of migrant Scottish intellectuals, Carlyle’s writings made an equally significant contribution to the development of Idealism in Australia and New Zealand. In doing so, the article draws upon not only published treatises and monographs, but also speeches as reported in the local press, unpublished doctoral dissertations, and, in one notable case, archival sources. Together, these demonstrate beyond doubt the important and enduring contribution of Thomas Carlyle to Australasian Idealism.