author
John Alexander Gunn
1896–1975
A British philosopher and teacher, he wrote clear, thoughtful books that introduced readers to Henri Bergson and the development of modern French philosophy. His work helped bring European philosophical ideas to a wider English-speaking audience.
2 Audiobooks
Modern French Philosophy: a Study of the Development Since Comte
by John Alexander Gunn
Bergson and His Philosophy
by John Alexander Gunn
About the author
Born in Liverpool in 1896, he studied at the University of Liverpool and later earned advanced degrees in philosophy there. After serving in France during the First World War, he returned to academic life and developed a strong interest in French philosophy, especially the thought of Henri Bergson.
He went on to teach at the University of Melbourne, where he became professor of philosophy in the 1920s and later served in university extension work. Alongside his academic career, he wrote accessible studies including Bergson and His Philosophy and Modern French Philosophy: A Study of the Development Since Comte.
His books are remembered for making demanding ideas easier to approach without losing their seriousness. He died in 1975, leaving behind a body of work that still offers a useful doorway into early twentieth-century philosophy.