Thomas Hill Green
modernBritish Idealism1836 – 1882
Thomas Hill Green was a British idealist philosopher and political theorist who served as Whyte's Professor of Moral Philosophy at Oxford. He was a leading figure in the revival of Hegelian and Kantian idealism in Britain, arguing against the prevailing empiricist tradition and advocating for a metaphysics grounded in a universal consciousness or eternal mind.
Notable Achievements
1
Led the British Idealist movement against empiricism and utilitarianism at Oxford
2
Developed a theory of the eternal consciousness as the ground of all relations in Prolegomena to Ethics
3
Wrote influential critiques of Hume and Locke in his introductions to Hume's Treatise
4
Advanced a positive conception of freedom that influenced liberal political theory and social reform
5
Pioneered the philosophical basis for state intervention in welfare through his lectures on political obligation