Richard Bithell
Richard Bithell | |
|---|---|
| Born | 22 March 1821 Lewes, Sussex, UK |
| Died | 4 December 1902 (aged 81) |
| Occupation(s) | Philosopher, writer |
Richard Bithell (22 March 1821 – 4 December 1902) was an English agnostic philosopher and writer.
Bithell was born at Lewes, Sussex on 22 March 1821.[1] When he was 11, he worked at his father's smithy in Lewes.[2] Due to ill health he later took up teaching. He took courses at the Borough Road Training College to become a teacher of chemistry and mathematics.[2] In 1843, he was appointed master of the British School in Chesterfield. He was transferred to Brighton, Wolverton and London.[2]
Bithell obtained a BSc from London University and a PhD from University of Göttingen.[2] He developed an interest in philosophy and authored a series of books on agnosticism.[2] From 1865 he worked at the banking house of the Rothschilds until his retirement in 1898.[3] His title-pages describe him as "B.Sc., Ph.D., Fellow of the Institute of Bankers". Bithell was a member of the Rationalist Press Association.[4]
Bithell has been cited as one of the early popularizers of agnosticism during the late 19th century.[3]
Selected publications
[edit]- A Counting-House Dictionary, containing an explanation of the technical terms used by merchants and bankers, etc. (1882; new ed., 1903)
- The Creed of a Modern Agnostic (1883)
- Agnostic Problems (1887)
- A Handbook of Scientific Agnosticism (1892)
References
[edit]- ^ "Richard Bithell (1821—1902)". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Grayling, A. C; Pyle, Andrew; Goulder, Naomi. (2006). Continuum Encyclopedia of British Philosophy. Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 331–332. ISBN 978-1843711414
- ^ a b Lightman, Bernard. Ideology, Evolution and Late-Victorian Agnostic Popularizers. In James R. Moore. (1989). History, Humanity and Evolution: Essays for John C. Greene. Cambridge University Press. pp. 285–310. ISBN 0-521-33511-6
- ^ McCabe, Joseph. (1920). A Biographical Dictionary of Modern Rationalists. London: Watts & Co. pp. 77–78
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