Article

Herbert Leslie Stewart

Published Online February 5, 2008

Last Edited December 16, 2013

Herbert Leslie Stewart, philosopher (b in County Antrim, Ire 31 Mar 1882; d at Halifax 19 Sept 1953). He arrived in Halifax to teach philosophy in 1913, having written his first book, Questions of the Day in Philosophy and Psychology (1912). In Canada his commitment shifted from realism to idealism.

Stewart, Herbert Leslie

Herbert Leslie Stewart, philosopher (b in County Antrim, Ire 31 Mar 1882; d at Halifax 19 Sept 1953). He arrived in Halifax to teach philosophy in 1913, having written his first book, Questions of the Day in Philosophy and Psychology (1912). In Canada his commitment shifted from realism to idealism. Realist causal explanations for WWI seemed insufficient, and Stewart looked to the history and continuity (or fragmentation) of ideas common to all people. In his later years he made national CBC broadcasts on public affairs, commenting on the evils of communism and supporting militarism and capital punishment in his campaign against the incursion of destructive ideas. His books on religion, Modernism Past and Present (1932) and A Century of Anglo-Catholicism (1929), rounded out his successful career. He founded the DALHOUSIE REVIEW in 1921 and served as editor for 26 years.