 While the Scottish philosophers of the 18th century are studied extensively, the philosophers who worked in Scotland's universities during the 19th century are generally neglected, and in many cases virtually unknown. Francis Hutcheson, David Hume and Thomas Reid and are names familiar to almost all philosophers; Sir William Hamilton, James Frederick Ferrier, Alexander Bain, Edward Caird and Andrew Seth to very few. Yet it is in the 19th century that something called “Scottish philosophy” came to consciousness, and gained an honored place in the international academy of its day. Across Europe and North America, and even in Australasia, for most of the 19th century Scottish philosophy was held in very high regard.It was only with the turn of the 20th century that its star fell, and did so surprisingly rapidly. To understand this decline in reputation, it is necessary to see 19th century Scottish philosophy against the background of the century that preceded it.