British philosophy and primitive belief

Carveth Read

1848 – 1931

Carveth Read was Grote Professor of Philosophy of Mind and Logic at University College London whose work extended beyond formal logic into anthropological speculation on the origins of religion and superstition, most notably in The Origin of Man and of His Superstitions (1920). His comparative psychological approach to primitive belief systems provided a rationalistic framework for understanding the mentality underlying magical and religious practice that was influential among late Victorian and Edwardian intellectuals. His work bridges academic philosophy and the emerging science of religion in ways that resonated with esoteric thinkers seeking intellectual legitimation for their worldviews.