author
Thomas Whittaker
1856–1935
An English metaphysician and critic, he wrote clearly and widely on philosophy, religion, and the history of ideas. His work often connected classical thought with modern debates, making difficult subjects feel more approachable.
1 Audiobook
Schopenhauer
by Thomas Whittaker
About the author
Born on September 25, 1856, Thomas Whittaker was an English metaphysician and critic known for a long career of philosophical writing. He studied at the Royal College of Science in Dublin and at Exeter College, Oxford, where he read natural science before turning more fully toward philosophy and criticism.
Whittaker wrote on a wide range of subjects, including ancient philosophy, religion, and major thinkers such as Schopenhauer. Among the works associated with him are The Philosophy of History, The Neoplatonists: A Study in the History of Hellenism, The Origins of Christianity, and Apollonius of Tyana and Other Essays. His reputation rests on his ability to range across big intellectual questions while keeping a critical, scholarly tone.
He died on October 3, 1935. Today he is remembered chiefly by readers interested in the history of philosophy, especially for his studies of Neoplatonism and for the breadth of his engagement with religion and metaphysical thought.