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PHILOSOPHER

William Godwin

1756 - 1836

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William Godwin (3 March 1756 – 7 April 1836) was an English journalist, political philosopher and novelist. He is considered one of the first exponents of utilitarianism and the first modern proponent of anarchism. Godwin is most famous for two books that he published within the space of a year: An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, an attack on political institutions, and Things as They Are; or, The Adventures of Caleb Williams, an early mystery novel which attacks aristocratic privilege. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of William Godwin has received more than 1,374,908 page views. His biography is available in 51 different languages on Wikipedia. William Godwin is the 270th most popular philosopher (down from 231st in 2019), the 474th most popular biography from United Kingdom (down from 371st in 2019) and the 16th most popular British Philosopher.

William Godwin is most famous for his book, "Political Justice," in which he argues that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Memorability Metrics

  • 1.4M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 64.89

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 51

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 6.11

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 4.07

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Page views of William Godwins by language


Among PHILOSOPHERS

Among philosophers, William Godwin ranks 270 out of 1,081. Before him are Hans Jonas, Xenocrates, Andronicus of Rhodes, Julius Evola, Pherecydes of Syros, and Paramahansa Yogananda. After him are Georges Sorel, Alain Badiou, Raymond Aron, Alexander of Aphrodisias, G. E. Moore, and Houston Stewart Chamberlain.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1756, William Godwin ranks 4. Before him are Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, and Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria. After him are Maria Theresa of Savoy, Aaron Burr, Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Rémy, Ernst Chladni, Frederick Francis I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Joseph Martin Kraus, Louis Henri, Prince of Condé, and Jean-Baptiste Carrier. Among people deceased in 1836, William Godwin ranks 7. Before him are André-Marie Ampère, Charles X of France, James Madison, Letizia Ramolino, Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès, and Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle. After him are Maria Malibran, Marie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier, James Mill, Antoine Laurent de Jussieu, Davy Crockett, and Princess Wilhelmine of Baden.

Others Born in 1756

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Others Deceased in 1836

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, William Godwin ranks 474 out of 7,765. Before him are Samuel Johnson (1709), William Laud (1573), William Adams (1564), Gregory Bateson (1904), Gustav Holst (1874), and John Donne (1572). After him are Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York (1473), Edmund Ironside (993), John Cleese (1939), Peter Brook (1925), Austen Chamberlain (1863), and Arthur Balfour (1848).

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Among PHILOSOPHERS In United Kingdom

Among philosophers born in United Kingdom, William Godwin ranks 16. Before him are Joseph Priestley (1733), John Venn (1834), Duns Scotus (1265), John Wycliffe (1324), Pelagius (360), and Thomas Carlyle (1795). After him are G. E. Moore (1873), Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855), A. S. Neill (1883), E. H. Carr (1892), J. L. Austin (1911), and H. L. A. Hart (1907).

British born Philosophers

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