1866 – 1925
John McTaggart Ellis McTaggart (1866–1925) was a British idealist philosopher at Cambridge, best known for his argument that time is unreal and his systematic metaphysics developed in 'The Nature of Existence.' A follower of Hegel, he defended personal idealism—the view that ultimate reality consists of a community of souls united by love—and made lasting contributions to the philosophy of time, metaphysics, and ethics.
Argued for the unreality of time via the A-series/B-series distinction, a foundational contribution to philosophy of time
Developed a systematic personal idealism in 'The Nature of Existence' (2 vols., 1921–1927)
Defended immortality of the soul on metaphysical grounds independent of religion
Produced influential interpretations of Hegel's dialectic in 'Studies in Hegelian Cosmology'
Advanced a non-theistic idealist ethics grounding value in relations of love among persons