author
Alfred William Benn
1843–1915
An Irish-born philosopher and historian of ideas, he wrote clear, wide-ranging studies of Greek thought, English rationalism, and modern philosophy. His work has long appealed to readers interested in freethought and the big story of how philosophy developed.
3 Audiobooks
History of Modern Philosophy
by Alfred William Benn
The Greek Philosophers, Vol. 2 (of 2)
by Alfred William Benn
The Greek Philosophers, Vol. 1 (of 2)
by Alfred William Benn
About the author
Born in County Westmeath, Ireland, in 1843, Alfred William Benn became known as a philosopher, writer, and historian of philosophy. He is associated with agnostic and rationalist circles, and sources describe him as an honorary associate of the Rationalist Press Association.
Benn wrote several substantial works for general readers and serious students alike, including The Greek Philosophers (1882), The History of English Rationalism in the Nineteenth Century (1906), and A History of Modern Philosophy (1912). His books are remembered for taking large intellectual traditions and presenting them in an organized, readable way.
He died in 1915 in Florence. Although he is not as widely known today as some of the thinkers he wrote about, his books remain of interest to readers who enjoy the history of ideas, especially the development of rationalist and modern philosophical thought.