Person

Dickinson, G. Lowes (Goldsworthy Lowes), 1862-1932

1862-1932

Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson was born on August 6, 1862, in London, England.

He was a British political scientist, philosopher, and author. In 1884, he graduated from King's College, Cambridge, and won the Chancellor's English medal for a poem on Savonarola. He became a Fellow of King's College in 1887 and served as the college librarian from 1893 to 1896. He joined the Society for Psychical Research in 1890 and served on its Council from 1904 to 1920. In 1903, he helped found the Independent Review. Dickinson taught courses on political science at Cambridge University and the London School of Economics from 1896 to 1920. He had a passionate desire for the improvement of mankind and the sense of service that impelled him into the public sphere. From the start of the First World War, Dickinson was an advocate of the League of Nations. He retired from teaching in 1920, but until the end of his life, he wrote prolifically, especially on Goethe and Plato, both the subjects of several radio broadcasts in 1930–1931. He was the author of “Revolution and Reaction in Modern France” (1892), “The Development of Parliament during the Nineteenth Century” (1895), “The Greek View of Life” (1896), “Letters from John Chinaman” (1901), and "A Modern Symposium" (1905). In 1934, Dickinson's friend E. M. Forster published his biography, "Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson".

He died on August 3, 1932, in London, England.