A. E. (Alfred Edward) Taylor

Born in Oundle, Northamptonshire, on December 22, 1869, Alfred Edward Taylor became one of the best-known British philosophers of his generation. He studied at New College, Oxford, and went on to teach at Manchester, McGill University, the University of St Andrews, and later the University of Edinburgh, where he served as Professor of Moral Philosophy.

Taylor is especially remembered for his work on Plato and Socrates, along with writings on ethics, metaphysics, and the philosophy of religion. Often cited as A. E. Taylor, he was associated with British idealism, but readers have long valued him not just for his philosophical position, but for the direct, readable style of books such as Plato and Socrates.

He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy and also served as president of the Aristotelian Society. Taylor died in Edinburgh on October 31, 1945, leaving behind a body of work that still appeals to readers interested in both ancient philosophy and the larger moral and spiritual questions philosophy tries to answer.