Professor Royce's Libel

Abbot, Francis Ellingwood, 1836-1903Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.5

Word count: 99K words
Chapters: 10

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Professor Royce's Libel by Francis Ellingwood AbbotAuthor: Abbot, Francis Ellingwood, 1836-1903,Language: English, Class: LD: Education: Individual institutions: United States, Release Date: Nov 12, 2006

Editor's review

This is a polemical philosophical text in which Francis Ellingwood Abbot responds to certain statements by Royce, touching on the responsibility for expression and the boundaries of academic criticism in philosophical debate. The text is short but argumentatively dense, written in the typical style of nineteenth-century polemics: clear positions, direct wording, and tightly compressed reasoning. Its value lies not in offering a systematic philosophical introduction but in presenting a specific controversy in its original form, allowing readers to observe how American philosophy was contested and discussed at the time. For readers interested in the history of American philosophy, the idealist tradition, or the genre of academic polemic, this material has documentary significance. Readers should pay attention to the specific claims under attack, or they may see only the rebuttal without grasping the point at issue. As a public-domain electronic text without modern editorial notes, it is best read alongside relevant background materials.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and students of American philosophical history and the idealist tradition
Readers interested in academic polemic and nineteenth-century controversial writing
University researchers needing primary-source material for papers
Advanced readers with a philosophical foundation willing to follow the argument closely

Not a good fit for

General readers without a philosophy background seeking light reading
Readers expecting a systematic introduction or textbook-style exposition
Readers who prefer narrative works and lack patience for polemical writing

Reading tips

First understand Royce's relevant claims and the background of the controversy; otherwise it is hard to identify the target of the rebuttal.
Mark the author's core claims and evidence paragraph by paragraph, tracing the chain of argument rather than just noting conclusions.
Read alongside chapters on American philosophical history to place the text in its intellectual context.
Given its brevity, read it through in one sitting and then revisit key passages to avoid taking things out of context.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What philosophical background does this book require?

The text centers on a specific philosophical controversy involving idealism and academic criticism. Readers should have basic experience in philosophical reading and some familiarity with the general background of nineteenth-century American philosophy. Readers with no philosophical foundation will find the argument跳跃 and the background unfamiliar.

Why does the text lack modern annotations?

The book comes from a public-domain e-book project and provides the original text without modern editorial notes or introduction. Readers must look up relevant background materials themselves or supplement contextual information with works on philosophical history.

Does brevity mean it is easy to read?

Not necessarily. It is short but argumentatively dense, with sentence structures characteristic of its era, and the specific claims under attack are not fully developed in the text. Without knowledge of the controversy's background, readers may read quickly yet fail to grasp the key points, and may need to reread repeatedly.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Abbot, Francis Ellingwood, 1836-1903 Author

Francis Ellingwood Abbot (1836–1903) was a nineteenth-century American philosopher and freethought thinker. The library holds only one work under his name, Professor Royce's Libel. Because public information is limited, his life and academic background are not elaborated here; what can be established is that the book responds to and argues about statements made by Professor Royce, and thus belongs to the genre of philosophical criticism. Judging from the title and manner of writing, Abbot writes directly, addressing specific accusations point by point in order to clarify his position and defend his reputation, rather than setting out a systematic doctrine. Such a text offers some reference value for understanding the controversial atmosphere of American philosophy at the time, though readers need relevant background material to fully grasp its context and arguments.