Biography of William Godwin
|
aus: www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk./PRgodwin.htm |
William Godwin was born in Wisbech in 1796. Godwin left College as a Tory but after five years as a minister he had developed radical political views. In 1787 Godwin left the ministry and became a full-time writer. Inspired by the writings of Tom Paine, Godwin published "Enquiry into Political Justice" in 1793. In the book Godwin argued that as long as people acted rationally, they could live without laws or institutions. So he was a reasoner and preparer of anarchism. Because of that Godwin´s political ideas had a great influence on many writers. Later he concentrated on writing novels, the most popular being "Mandeville" in 1817. William Godwin died in 1836. He wanted to change the policy of government and strengthen the individual as Paine wanted. |
