George Berkeley was an Irish philosopher whose primary achievement was the advancement of a theory he called "immaterialism" (later referred to as "subjective idealism" by others). This theory denies the existence of material substance and instead contends that familiar objects like tables and chairs are only ideas in the minds of perceivers and, as a result, cannot exist without being perceived. Berkeley is also known for his critique of abstraction, an important premise in his argument for immaterialism.

The words blasphemy', evil' and pagan' were hurled at Robert Ingersoll by the organized Christian Church from the moment he made his first declaration from the pulpit. And, in spite of their unanimous rejection, his words live on through today. As shown in this text his prose was terse, biting, cutting and slightly arrogant for he felt it was his purpose to bring the sacred scriptures into the glare of a more realistic realm. Deemed as being written hundreds of years after the fact, he saw the Bible as being nothing more than an exhaggerated series of folk tales that were handed down by a...

Frederick Boyle (1841-1914) was an English author, journalist, barrister, and orchid fancier. Born in Stoke-on-Trent, Boyle was an undergraduate at Brasenose College, Oxford (matric., 1859), and was called to the bar in 1866. In 1863, he went to Sarawak with his brother: this visit provided material for a book, and chapters in several other volumes of travel accounts from Asia, South Africa, and Central and South America. He also published a number of novels. and a variety of articles in journals. He described himself as a barrister and journalist in census records from 1871 to 1901; in 1911...

Edward Verrall Lucas, CH (11/12 June 1868 - 26 June 1938) was an English humorist, essayist, playwright, biographer, publisher, poet, novelist, short story writer and editor. Born to a Quaker family on the fringes of London, Lucas began work at the age of sixteen, apprenticed to a bookseller. After that he turned to journalism, and worked on a local paper in Brighton and then on a London evening paper. He was commissioned to write a biography of Bernard Barton, the Quaker poet. This led to further commissions, including the editing of the works of Charles Lamb.

Edward Verrall Lucas, CH (11/12 June 1868 - 26 June 1938) was an English humorist, essayist, playwright, biographer, publisher, poet, novelist, short story writer and editor. Born to a Quaker family on the fringes of London, Lucas began work at the age of sixteen, apprenticed to a bookseller. After that he turned to journalism, and worked on a local paper in Brighton and then on a London evening paper. He was commissioned to write a biography of Bernard Barton, the Quaker poet. This led to further commissions, including the editing of the works of Charles Lamb.

Prince Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin 1842 - February 8, 1921) was a Russian activist, scientist, and philosopher, who advocated anarchism. Born into an aristocratic land-owning family, he attended a military school and later served as an officer in Siberia, where he participated in several geological expeditions. He was imprisoned for his activism in 1874 and managed to escape two years later. He spent the next 41 years in exile in Switzerland, France (where he was imprisoned for almost 4 years) and in England. He returned to Russia after the Russian Revolution in 1917 but was disappointed by...