A. Betson
(fl. 1751)A. Betson is known only by his sole publication, Miscellaneous Dissertations, Historical, Critical, and Moral, On the Origin and Antiquity of MASQUERADES … (1751). He is described on the ...
A. J. Ayer
(1910–1989)British philosopher, responsible for introducing the principles of logical positivism of the Vienna Circle to British philosophers. He was knighted in 1970.Born in London, Ayer was ...
Aaron Burr
(1756–1836)US Democratic Republican statesman. After losing the presidential election to Jefferson in 1800, Burr was elected Vice-President. He was defeated in the contest for the governorship of New ...
ab esse ad posse valet consequentia
From the fact that something exists, it follows that it is possible.
abacus
An ancient device for performing arithmetic calculations by sliding beads along rods or in grooves. Despite the spread of electronic calculators and computers, the abacus is still widely used in the ...
abandonment
Term used by existentialists to dramatize the sense of loss that comes from realizing that there is no external source of moral authority, such as a God.
‘Abbas Mahmoud al -‘Aqqad
(1889–1964)‘Abbas Mahmoud al- ‘Aqqad was a writer, poet, historian, philosopher, journalist and translator. He was an energetic nationalist and saw himself very much as the conscience of Egypt, then ...
‘Abd al-Rahman Badawi
(1917–2002)‘Abd al-Rahman Badawi was born 4 February 1917 in a village on the out-skirts of Damietta, Egypt. He studied at the University of Cairo, later teaching there and at ...
‘Abd al-Ra'uf al-Singkili
(c.1024–1105 / 1615–93)‘Abd al-Ra'uf al-Singkili was born in 1024 / 1615 in the coastal town of Singkel in west Sumatra, which was subject to the Aceh Sultanate, and died ...
‘Abd al-Razzaq Lahiji
(d. 1072 / 1662)‘Abd al-Razzaq b. Ali b. Husayn Gilani al-Lahiji was one of the major scholars of the late Safavid period. Little is known of his life other ...
‘Abd al-Wahhab ibn Ahmad al-sha‘arani
(c.898–973 / c.1493–1565)‘Abd al-Wahhab ibn Ahmad al-Sha‘arani was a descendent, he says, of Musa Abu ‘Imran, the son of the sultan of Tlemcen and a follower of the Sufi ...
Abderites
Term for the two earliest atomists, Democritus and Leucippus, both of whom came from Abdera in northern Greece.
abduction
An inference process widely used in artificial intelligence, particularly in expert systems and rule-based systems. In diagnosis, for example, there may be a rule like “if measles then red spots” so ...
‘Abdul Samad al-Falimbani
(c.1116–1254 / c.1704–1838)‘Abdul Samad al-Falimbani was one of the great and influential religious scholars in the eighteenth-century Malay Archipelago. Some historical sources recorded his father's ...
Abdulahad Davud
(1866–1930)Abdulahad Davud was born in Urmiya, Iran, in 1866. His first education was at American College there. After his graduation he was brought to Propaganda Fide College in Rome ...
Abdulbaki Gölpinarli
(1317–1402 / 1900–82)Abdulbaki Gölpınarlı was born in Istanbul on 10 Ramadan 1317 / 12 Ocak 1900 and died in Istanbul on 6 Dhu'l-Qada 1402 / 25 August 1982. He ...
Abdülhak Adnan Adivar
(1882–1955)Adnan Adivar was born in Gallipoli (Gelibolu) in 1882 and died in Istanbul on 1 July 1955. His lineage is traced back to Aziz Mahmut Hüdayi, a late sixteenth ...
Abdullah Bosnevi
(992–1054) / 1584–1644)Abdullah Bosnevi was born in Bosnia in 992 / 1584. He began his education in Bosnia, but completed it in Istanbul. Then he moved to Bursa, which ...
‘Abdullatif Harputi
(1258–1334 / 1842–1916)‘Abdullatif Harputi was born in Harput in 1258 / 1842 and died in Istanbul on 16 Şevval 1334 / 16 August 1916. He was an Ottoman scholar ...
Aberdeen Philosophical Society
Also known as the Wise Club, the Aberdeen Philosophical Society was founded in January 1758 and continued to meet until the spring or early summer of 1773. The Society was ...
