Bernard Bosanquet (philosopher)

Bernard Bosanquet (philosopher)

Bernard Bosanquet (July 14, 1848, Rock Hall, Alnwick, Northumberland, – February 8, 1923, London) was an English philosopher and political theorist, and an influential figure on matters of political and social policy in late 19th and early 20th century Britain. His work influenced - but was later subject to criticism by - many thinkers, notably Bertrand Russell, John Dewey and William James. Bernard was the husband of Charity Organisation Society leader Helen Bosanquet.

He was educated at Harrow School and Balliol College, Oxford. After graduation, he was elected to a Fellowship at University College, Oxford, but resigned it in order to devote himself to philosophical research. He moved to London in 1881, where he became an active member of the London Ethical Society and the Charity Organisation Society. Both were positive demonstrations of Bosanquet's ethical philosophy. Bosanquet published on a wide range of topics, such as logic, metaphysics, aesthetics and politics. In his metaphysics, he is regarded as a key representative (with F.H. Bradley) of Absolute Idealism, although it is a term that he abandoned in favour of "speculative philosophy."

Bosanquet was one of the leaders of the so-called neo-Hegelian philosophical movement in Great Britain. He was strongly influenced by the ancient Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle, but also by the German philosophers Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Immanuel Kant. Among his best-known works are "The Philosophical Theory of the State" (1899; 4th ed. 1923), and his Gifford lectures, "The Principle of Individuality and Value" and "The Value and Destiny of the Individual" published 1912 and 1913 respectively.

He was president of the Aristotelian Society from 1894 to 1898.

Idealist Social Theory

In his "Encyclopedia", Section 95, Hegel had written about "the ideality of the finite." This obscure phrase was interpreted as implying that "what is finite is not real""The Encyclopedia of Philosophy", vol. 3, "Idealism", New York, 1967] because the ideal is understood as being the opposite of the real. Bosanquet was a follower of Hegel and the "…central theme of Bosanquet's idealism was that every finite existence necessarily transcends itself and points toward other existences and finally to the whole. Thus, he advocated a system very close to that in which Hegel had argued for the ideality of the finite." The relation of the finite individual to the whole state in which he/she lives was investigated in Bosanquet's "Philosophical Theory of the State" (London, 1899). In this book, he "…argued that the state is the real individual and that individual persons are unreal by comparison with it." But Bosanquet did not think that the state has a right to impose socialist control over its individual citizens. "On the contrary, he believed that if society is organic and individual, then its elements can cooperate apart from a centralized organ of control, the need for which presupposes that harmony has to be imposed upon something that is naturally unharmonious."

References

External links

*
* [http://people.stfx.ca/wsweet/Bernard_Bosanquet.html Bernard Bosanquet page]
* [http://www.giffordlectures.org/Browse.asp?PubID=TPPIAV&
] , Macmillan, 1912. (Gifford Lectures, 1910-12)
* [http://www.giffordlectures.org/Browse.asp?PubID=TPVADI&
] , Macmillan, 1923. (Gifford Lectures, 1910-12)
* [http://www.efm.bris.ac.uk/het/bosanquet/state.pdf The Philosophical Theory of The State (1899/2001)] , Kitchener: Batoche Books
* [http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/news/bosanquet.html Archives Hub: Bosanquet Papers]
*


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bernard Bosanquet — may refer to:* Bernard Bosanquet (cricketer) (1877 1936), English cricketer credited with inventing the googly * Bernard Bosanquet (philosopher) (1848 1923), English philosopher …   Wikipedia

  • Bosanquet — may refer to:* Bosanquet, Ontario, a former township in CanadaPeople with the surname Bosanquet: * Bernard Bosanquet (philosopher) (1848–1923), English philosopher * Bernard Bosanquet (cricketer) (1877–1936), English cricketer, credited with… …   Wikipedia

  • Bosanquet, Bernard — born June 14, 1848, Alnwick, Northumberland, Eng. died Feb. 8, 1923, London British philosopher. He helped revive in Britain the absolute idealism of G.W.F. Hegel and sought to apply its principles to social and political problems. His debt to… …   Universalium

  • Bosanquet — /boh zeuhn ket , kit/, n. Bernard, 1848 1923, English philosopher and writer. * * * …   Universalium

  • Bosanquet — /boh zeuhn ket , kit/, n. Bernard, 1848 1923, English philosopher and writer …   Useful english dictionary

  • Robert Holford Macdowall Bosanquet — (31 July 1841 ndash;7 August 1912) was an English scientist and music theorist, and brother of Admiral Sir Day Bosanquet, and philosopher Bernard Bosanquet.Bosanquet was the son of Rev. R. W. Bosanquet of Rock Hall Alnwick, Northumberland. He was …   Wikipedia

  • Helen Bosanquet — (1860–1926) was a leader of the Charity Organisation Society in Britain. She was the wife of philosopher Bernard Bosanquet [ [http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/news/bosanquet.html Archives Hub: Bosanquet Papers ] ] She was a major influence on the… …   Wikipedia

  • Mario Costa (philosopher) — This article is about the Italian philospher. For the Italian film director, see Mario Costa (director). For the Maltese diplomat, see Mario Costa. Mario Costa Mario Costa (2003) Full name Mario Costa Born 7 December 1936(19 …   Wikipedia

  • Bibliographie d'esthétique — Première page de Æsthetica (1750) de Baumgarten Ma …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Bibliographie En Esthétique — Bibliographie d esthétique Première page de Æsthetica (1750) de Baumgarten …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”