1866 – 1925
John McTaggart Ellis McTaggart (1866-1925) was a British idealist philosopher and Cambridge fellow best known for his metaphysical system arguing for the unreality of time and for a personalist absolute idealism. Influenced by Hegel, he developed an atheistic yet spiritualist metaphysics in which reality consists of a community of immortal, loving selves, denying the existence of God while affirming personal immortality.
Formulated the influential argument for the unreality of time, distinguishing the A-series and B-series of temporal ordering
Authored the two-volume magnum opus 'The Nature of Existence' (1921, 1927) presenting his systematic metaphysics
Developed a personalist idealism arguing reality consists of a community of immortal selves bound by love
Wrote major commentaries on Hegel including 'Studies in the Hegelian Dialectic' and 'Studies in Hegelian Cosmology'
Defended atheism while maintaining belief in personal immortality, an unusual combination in his era