John Fiske

The Dutch and Quaker Colonies in America John Fiske

Publisher Marketing: John Fiske was an American philosopher and historian who wrote letters to Charles Darwin and became a voluminous writer of histories near the end of his life. The largest part of his life was devoted to the study of history, but at an early age inquiries into the nature of human progress led him to a careful study of the doctrine of evolution, and it was through the popularization of Charles Darwin's work that he first became known to the public. He applied himself to the philosophical interpretation of Darwin's work and produced many books and essays on this subject. His philosophy was influenced by Herbert Spencer's views on evolution. In a letter from Charles Darwin to John Fiske, dated from 1874, the naturalist remarks: "I never in my life read so lucid an expositor (and therefore thinker) as you are." Later he turned to historical writings, publishing books such as The Discovery of America (1892, ISBN 1-932080-42-2). In addition, he edited, with James Grant Wilson, Appletons' Cyclopaedia of American Biography (1887). He died, worn out by overwork, at Gloucester, Massachusetts, July 4, 1901. One of Fiske's best-known works is Dutch and Quaker Colonies in America, a comprehensive look at the earliest period of colonial America near the start of the 17th century Contributor Bio:  Fiske, John John Fiske (1842-1901), born Edmund Fisk Green, was an American philosopher and historian, born at Hartford, Connecticut. He graduated from Harvard College in 1863 and at the Harvard Law School in 1865. He practiced as a lawyer for a brief interval, before dedicating himself to popularisation and philosophical interpretation of Darwin's work and producing many books and essays on this subject. In books such as Outlines of Cosmic Philosophy, Fiske aimed to show that "in reality there has never been any conflict between religion and science, nor is any reconciliation called for where harmony has always existed. " Fiske was a popular lecturer on these topics in his early career. Later he turned to historical writings, publishing books such as The Discovery of America (1892). Amongst his other works are: Myths and Myth-Makers (1873), The Unseen World (1876), The Destiny of Man, Viewed in the Light of His Origin (1884), American Political Ideas Viewed from the Standpoint of Universal History (1885), The Beginnings of New England (1889), Civil Government in the United States Considered with Some Reference to its Origins (1890), The Meaning of Infancy (1909), and The War of Independence.