Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century British Thought

Dimova-Cookson, Maria

Abstract

Key features of late nineteenth-and early twentieth-century British thought include analysis of the nature of liberty, keen interest in the role of the state in creating conditions for personal development, and belief either in the perfectibility of human beings or in social progress, often in both. In spite of significant disagreements on these issues, the main representative thinkers of this period—Herbert Spencer, T.H. Green, Bernard Bosanquet, and L.T. Hobhouse—believed in systematic studies of human nature and society, drawing on a range of disciplines in humanities and natural sciences. Also, all of them believed in a link between morality and politics. Unlike the liberal political theorists of the second half of the twentieth century, these Victorian and Edwardian thinkers, all passionate in defending liberty, were not moral pluralists, perhaps with the exception of L.T Hobhouse who was less of a moralist and perfectionist than the rest.

Citation

Dimova-Cookson, M. (2024). Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century British Thought. In G. Gaus, F. D'Agostino, & R. Muldoon (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Social and Political Philosophy (145-155). (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003411598-15

• Online Publication Date: Nov 26, 2024
• Publication Date: Oct 10, 2024
• Deposit Date: Dec 12, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 11, 2026
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 145-155
• Edition: 2nd ed.
• Book Title: The Routledge Companion to Social and Political Philosophy
• Chapter Number: 14
• ISBN: 9781003411598
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003411598-15
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3216065