PHILOSOPHER

A. S. Neill

1883 - 1973

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Alexander Sutherland Neill (17 October 1883 – 23 September 1973) was a Scottish educator and author known for his school, Summerhill, and its philosophy of freedom from adult coercion and community self-governance. Raised in Scotland, Neill taught at several schools before attending the University of Edinburgh in 1908–1912. He took two jobs in journalism before World War I, and taught at Gretna Green Village School in the second year of the war, writing his first book, A Dominie's Log (1915), as a diary of his life there as head teacher. He joined a Dresden school in 1921 and founded Summerhill on returning to England in 1924. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. A. S. Neill is the 395th most popular philosopher (down from 336th in 2019), the 895th most popular biography from United Kingdom (down from 583rd in 2019) and the 20th most popular British Philosopher.

A. S. Neill is most famous for his work with children and his founding of Summerhill School. Neill believed that children should be given the freedom to explore their own interests and learn from their own mistakes.

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Among PHILOSOPHERS

Among philosophers, A. S. Neill ranks 395 out of 1,267. Before him are Richard Avenarius, Guan Zhong, Shahab al-Din Yahya ibn Habash Suhrawardi, Haji Bektash Veli, Saadia Gaon, and Archelaus. After him are J. L. Austin, Bartolus de Saxoferrato, Anne Conway, Carl Gustav Hempel, Siger of Brabant, and Plutarch of Athens.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1883, A. S. Neill ranks 42. Before him are Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia, Peter Kürten, Nina Ricci, Zaifeng, Prince Chun, Joseph Pilates, and Georgios Papanikolaou. After him are Erich Heckel, Döme Sztójay, Zahra Khanom Tadj es-Saltaneh, Giovanni Messe, Max Linder, and Alexandros Papagos. Among people deceased in 1973, A. S. Neill ranks 49. Before him are Frank Costello, Luis Carrero Blanco, Dickinson W. Richards, Jean-Pierre Melville, Emmy Göring, and Elsa Schiaparelli. After him are François Cevert, Taha Hussein, Howard H. Aiken, Otto Klemperer, P. Ramlee, and Lex Barker.

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, A. S. Neill ranks 895 out of 8,785. Before him are John Henry Newman (1801), Kathleen Ferrier (1912), Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (1660), Charles Lee (1731), Bernard Hill (1944), and William Stanley Jevons (1835). After him are Steve Harris (1956), Peter Finch (1916), J. L. Austin (1911), John Frederic Daniell (1790), Thomas Savery (1650), and Kenneth Clark (1903).

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Among PHILOSOPHERS In United Kingdom

Among philosophers born in United Kingdom, A. S. Neill ranks 20. Before him are Thomas Reid (1710), Pelagius (360), Thomas Carlyle (1795), William Godwin (1756), Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855), and G. E. Moore (1873). After him are J. L. Austin (1911), Anne Conway (1631), E. H. Carr (1892), Thomas Hill Green (1836), Francis Hutcheson (1694), and John of Salisbury (1110).

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