John Mair

John Major (or Mair, Latin: Joannes Majoris; 1467–1550) was a Scottish philosopher, theologian, and historian. He was born around 1467 in Gleghornie, East Lothian, near North Berwick. He received his early education in Haddington, where he attended grammar school. In 1490, he went to Paris to study, attending the Collège Sainte-Barbe and later the Collège de Montaigu and the Sorbonne at the University of Paris. He obtained his Master's degree in 1496 and his Doctor of Sacred Theology in 1506. Major was influenced by nominalist and empiricist thinkers like John Buridan. His interests spanned logic, science, politics, and international law. He argued for the rights of indigenous peoples in newly discovered lands and for the authority of councils over popes and the people over kings. He taught in Paris and later returned to Scotland, serving as Principal of the University of Glasgow and Provost of St Salvator's College, University of St Andrews. He was a teacher of notable figures like John Knox. Despite a less admired Latin style, his "sane conservatism" and "skeptical, logical approach" influenced many, and his ideas on human rights are considered foundational.