Robert Lewins (28 August 1817 – 22 July 1895) was a British

army surgeon ''Army Surgeon'' is a 1942 American film directed by A. Edward Sutherland and starring Jane Wyatt and Kent Taylor. The plot is about a female surgeon who pretends to be a nurse so she can serve on the front line during World War I.

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

. He is best known for his collaboration with

Constance Naden Constance Caroline Woodhill Naden (24 January 185823 December 1889) was an English writer, poet and philosopher. She studied, wrote and lectured on philosophy and science, alongside publishing two volumes of poetry. Several collected works wer ...

on their philosophical theory called hylo-idealism.

Army career

Robert Lewins was a Surgeon Lieutenant Colonel who served with the 63rd Regiment in the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

and the

Indian Mutiny The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the form ...

among other campaigns. According to his obituary in the ''

British Medical Journal ''The BMJ'' is a fortnightly peer-reviewed medical journal, published by BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, which in turn is wholly-owned by the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world ...

'', Lewins was also 'in the expedition to the north of China in 1865 in charge of the hospital ship ''Mauritius'', and was present at the capture of the

Taku Forts The Taku Forts or Dagukou Forts (大沽口炮台), also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River (Peiho River) estuary in the Binhai New Area, Tianjin, in northeastern China. They are located southeast of the Tianjin urban ...

, receiving the medal'.

Philosophical career

Upon retiring to England in 1868, Lewins turned his attention to propounding his

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

philosophy. In 1877, he published ''Life and Mind; on the Basis of Materialism''. This work was reviewed favourably in ''The Secular Review'' by G. W. Foote, who wrote that it was an 'excellent little essay" containing "valuable information on the pathology of religious excitement". Initially called Hylo-Zoism, it became Hylo-Idealism upon collaboration with Constance Naden. Other adherents during the 1880s were Herbert Courtney, George M. McCrie, and ‘Julian’ (

E. Cobham Brewer Ebenezer Cobham Brewer (2 May 1810 in Norwich – 6 March 1897 in Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire), was a British lexicographer and the author of '' A Guide to the Scientific Knowledge of Things Familiar'', '' Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fabl ...

's pseudonym). He published numerous

pamphlet A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a Hardcover, hard cover or Bookbinding, binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' ...

s on the subject, as well as being a prolific correspondent in certain quarters of the periodical press - including ''Knowledge'', ''Journal of Science'', ''

Secular Review ''Secular Review'' (1876–1907) was a freethought/secularist weekly publication in nineteenth and early twentieth-century Britain that appeared under a variety of names. It represented a "relatively moderate style of Secularism," more open to old ...

'' - during the latter decades of his life. The clearest articulation of his ideas (which were often expressed using

jargon Jargon, or technical language, is the specialized terminology associated with a particular field or area of activity. Jargon is normally employed in a particular Context (language use), communicative context and may not be well understood outside ...

and obscure phrases) can be found in ''Humanism versus Theism; or Solipsism (Egoism) = Atheism. In a series of letters by Robert Lewins M.D.'' (London: Freethought Publishing Company, 1887).

Friendship with Constance Naden

From their first meeting 1876 until Naden's death in 1889, Lewins and Naden had a close intellectual friendship. In the early years Lewins encouraged Naden to study German and the natural sciences. The development of their intellectual relationship can be partially traced in the letters Lewins wrote to Naden between November 1878 and February 1880, which were edited and published in 1887, with a preface by Naden, as ''

Humanism Humanism is a philosophy, philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and Agency (philosophy), agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The me ...

versus

Theism Theism is broadly defined as the belief in the existence of at least one deity. In common parlance, or when contrasted with '' deism'', the term often describes the philosophical conception of God that is found in classical theism—or the co ...

''. They went on to work together as peers on their

philosophy, Hylo-Idealism, which endeavoured to use scientific knowledge to show that the universe is best explained through a synthesis of materialism and (non-spiritual) idealism. Marion Thain has described how 'what appealed to Naden, came in key part from his poetic ability to elevate monistic theories of life through his rhetoric .. Nadenshares Lewins’ desire to imbue her monism with the same sense of wonder and power which people have traditionally found in religion.' After Naden's death in December 1889, Lewins rapidly commissioned a memorial bust for

Mason Science College Mason Science College was a university college in Birmingham, England, and a predecessor college of the University of Birmingham. Founded in 1875 by industrialist and philanthropist Sir Josiah Mason, the college was incorporated into the Univer ...

, which is now housed in the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

's Cadbury Research Library reading room. He also contributed to ''Constance Naden: A Memoir'', a volume authored by four of her friends; Lewins' chapter focuses entirely upon explaining their shared philosophical ideals rather than recounting memories of Naden.Hughes, W. R et al. '' Constance Naden: A Memoir'' (Bickers & Son, 1890), pp. 71-86

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewins, Robert 1817 births 1895 deaths 19th-century British philosophers 19th-century British Army personnel British Army regimental surgeons 19th-century British medical doctors 63rd Regiment of Foot officers British Army personnel of the Crimean War British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 British Army personnel of the Second Opium War