Robert Greene (philosopher) facts for kids
Robert Greene (born around 1678, died 1730) was an English philosopher. A philosopher is someone who studies big questions about life, knowledge, and how the world works. Greene was also a priest and a teacher at Clare Hall, Cambridge.
Early Life and Education
Robert Greene was born around 1678 in Tamworth, Staffordshire. His father, also named Robert Greene, was a mercer, which means he sold fabrics and goods. His mother was Mary Pretty. Sadly, Robert's father passed away when Robert was still young.
Thanks to his uncle, John Pretty, who was a priest in Farley, Hampshire, Robert was able to go to Clare Hall, Cambridge. He studied hard and earned his first degree in 1699. He then got a master's degree in 1703. After finishing his studies, he became a fellow (a senior member) and a tutor (teacher) at his college. He also became a priest.
Books and Ideas
In 1711, Robert Greene published a book called 'A Demonstration of the Truth and Divinity of the Christian Religion.' This book was about proving that the Christian faith was true.
The next year, in 1712, he released another book: 'The Principles of Natural Philosophy.' In this book, he tried to show why the science ideas of his time weren't good enough to explain how the world worked. Some people made fun of this book, even writing a parody of it.
Greene spent many years working on his biggest book, which was almost 1,000 pages long! It was called 'The Principles of the Philosophy of the Expansive and Contractive Forces.' He published it in 1727. In this book, he tried to create his own philosophy, which he called the "Greenian" philosophy. He thought his ideas were as important as those from famous thinkers like Galileo and Descartes. However, many people found his book confusing and hard to understand.
Later Life and Legacy
In 1727, Greene worked as a proctor at Cambridge University. A proctor is a university official who helps keep order. The next year, he earned a higher degree in divinity, called a D.D.
Robert Greene passed away on August 16, 1730, in Birmingham. He was buried at All Saints, Cambridge, where he had worked as a priest for three years.
Greene had some very unusual wishes in his will. He wanted his body to be studied and his skeleton displayed in the library at King's College. He also wanted monuments to be built in several places, each with a long description of himself. He left his estate (his money and property) to Clare Hall, but only if they followed all his instructions, including publishing his unfinished works. If Clare Hall didn't agree, the estate would go to other colleges. However, none of his wishes were fully carried out.
