Josiah Royce

Josiah Royce (1855–1916) was an influential American idealist philosopher, teacher, and historian known for his emphasis on individuality, will, loyalty, and the concept of an Absolute Knower in absolute idealism.[1][3][4] Born in Grass Valley, California, during the Gold Rush, he studied at the University of California, Berkeley, earned his PhD from Johns Hopkins, and spent much of his career at Harvard, contributing to psychology, social ethics, metaphysics, and a pioneering history of California.[2][5][6] His major works include The Religious Aspect of Philosophy (1885), The World and the Individual (1899–1901), and The Philosophy of Loyalty (1908).[3][4]