ThedifferencebetweentheWhigandtheRadicaltempershoweditselfinphilosophicalasinpoliticalquestions。TheRadicalpridedhimselfonbeinglogicalandthoroughgoing，whiletheWhiglovedcompromise，andthoughtthatlogicwasveryapttobeanuisance。ThesystematicreticencewhichtheUtilitariansheldtobenecessarypreventedthiscontrastfromshowingitselfdistinctlyonthesurface。TheUtilitarians，however，thoughtheyavoidedsuchoutspokenscepticismaswouldstartlethepublic，indicatedquitesufficientlytotheinitiatedtheiressentialposition。Itimpliedwhattheyfullyrecognisedinprivateconversation——acompleteabandonmentoftheology。Theylefttheobviousinferencestobedrawnbyothers。Inphilosophytheycouldspeakoutinawell-foundedconfidencethatfewpeoplewereabletodrawinferences。Iwillbeginbyconsideringthedoctrineagainstwhichtheyprotested；fortheantagonismreveals，Ithink，thekeytotheirposition。
WhenStewartwasobligedbyinfirmitytoretirefromtheactivedischargeofhisduties，hewassucceededbyThomasBrown1778-1820。Brownhadshownearlyprecocity，andattheageoffifteenhadattractedStewart’snoticebysomeremarksonapsychologicalpoint。HepublishedattwentyacriticismofDarwin’sZoonomia，andhebecameoneoftheEdinburghReviewcircle。
WhentheReviewwasstartedhecontributedanarticleuponKant。
InthosehappydaysitwassofarfromnecessarytoprepareoneselfforsuchataskbystudyingalibraryofcommentatorsthattheyoungreviewercouldfranklyadmithiswholeknowledgetobederivedfromVillers’PhilosophiedeKant1801。3Soonafterwardshetookanimportantshareinaoncefamouscontroversy。JohnLeslie，justelectedtothemathematicalchairatEdinburgh，wasaccusedofhavingwrittenfavourablyofHume’stheoryofcausation。WhigsandToriestookthisupasapartyquestion，4andBrownundertooktoexplaininapamphletwhatHume’stheorywas，andtoshowthatitdidnotleadtoatheism。Leslie’sfriendstriumphed，thoughitdoesnotappearhowfarBrown’sargumentscontributedtotheirsuccess。
Thepamphletwasrewrittenandenlarged，andathirdeditionof1818givesafullexpositionofhistheory。BrownhadmeanwhilebecomeStewart’sleadingdisciple，andin1810waselectedtobehiscolleague，Brownheldtheposition，doingalltheactiveduties，untilhisprematuredeathin1820。Brown，accordingtohisbiographer，wrotehislecturesimmediatelybeforedelivery，andcompletedthemduringhisfirsttwoyearsofoffice。Histheories，aswellashiswords，wereoften，accedingtothesameauthority，extemporised。