James thomson thomson james vol 40 essay

James Thomson was appointed as a professor of philosophy at MIT in 1963, and the couple then moved to Boston.

Thomson’s colleague Sally Haslanger, Ford Professor of Philosophy at MIT, noted that “she entered the field when only a tiny number of women even considered pursuing a career in philosophy and proved beyond doubt that a woman could meet the highest standards of philosophical excellence… She is the atomic ice-breaker for women in philosophy.”

Since its debut in 1740, "Rule Britannia" has been the emblematic song of Great Britain. Born the son of a clergyman in southern Scotland, Thomson was raised in the picturesque rural environment depicted in his most famous poems, and later studied for the ministry at Edinburgh University. In 1725, he went to London to pursue a literary career.

Regarded as one of the leading poets in eighteenth-century European literature, Thomson is primarily known for The Seasons (1726-30), a four-part poetic work about nature and its transformations during the course of the year.