Dictionary of Eighteenth-Century British Philosophers

Publisher Description

"The Dictionary of Eighteenth-Century British Philosophers" explores the nature and historical development of philosophical thought in Britain in a century that boasted great intellectual richness. Over 600 entries cover key figures such as Locke and Hume, together with a host of lesser known thinkers and writers whose individual contributions to philosophical thought were nevertheless crucial. The Dictionary covers all the major fields of philosophical activity and includes authors who wrote on subjects including aesthetics, literary theory, mathematics, philosophy, science, sociology and theology. Each entry explores an author's life, ideas and contribution to the history of thought and philosophy. The dictionary aims to make clear the appetite that eighteenth-century authors and readers had for philosophical ideas and often difficult abstractions. This fascinating volume explores in detail the very nature and evolution of philosophical thought in Britain in the eighteenth century. There is much in the Dictionary that will be new and unfamiliar, even to scholars who have spent a lifetime in eighteenth-century studies. Available for the first time in paperback, this indispensable two-volume encyclopaedia is a must for anyone with an interest in the history of philosophy.