The Philosopher

John Fiske

The face

The background

Nationality:
American
Schools:
19th-century philosophy, Western philosophy
Branchs:
Evolutionary theory, Philosophy of evolution, American history, Linguistics, Religion
Period:
19th-century philosophy

The synopsis

John Fiske, born Edmund Fiske Green on March 30, 1842, in Hartford, Connecticut, was an American philosopher and historian. He was a prominent advocate of the philosophy of evolution, heavily influenced by Herbert Spencer, and applied Spencer's ideas to various fields including linguistics, philosophy, religion, and history. Fiske graduated from Harvard College in 1863 and Harvard Law School in 1865, though he practiced law only briefly. His early career included lecturing on philosophy and history at Harvard and serving as an assistant librarian. He gained public recognition for his ability to popularize complex ideas, particularly those related to evolutionary theory. Fiske delivered numerous lectures across the United States and Great Britain and authored many influential books. Among his notable works are "Outlines of Cosmic Philosophy" (1874), "The Destiny of Man Viewed in the Light of his Origin" (1884), and "The Discovery of America" (1892). He aimed to demonstrate the harmony between religion and science, rejecting the notion of conflict between the two. Fiske also held a professorship in American history at Washington University in St. Louis and lectured internationally. Despite his progressive views on evolution, he held views on race that reflected the prevailing scientific racism of the late 19th century. John Fiske died on July 4, 1901, in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

The works

The quotes

Is it honest for me to go and sit there on communion day and drink the wine and eat the bread while feeling it all to be mummery?
John Fiske
One and all, the orthodox creeds are crumbling into ruins everywhere.
John Fiske
The way we make sense of a realistic text is through the same broad ideological frame as the way we make sense of our social experience or rather, the way we are made sense of by the discourses of our culture.
John Fiske
We now witness the constructive work on a foundation that will endure through the ages. That foundation is the god of science - revealed to us in terms that will harmonize with our intelligence.
John Fiske
We shall be inclined to pronounce the voyage that led to the way to this New World as the most epoch-making event of all that have occurred since the birth of Christ.
John Fiske
Realism is not a matter of any fidelity to an empirical reality, but of the discursive conventions by which and for which a sense of reality is constructed.
John Fiske
The persecuting spirit has its origin... in the assumption that one's own opinions are infallibly correct.
John Fiske