-
Birth
Lewes was born in London, England on April 18th, 1817. He was the illegitimate son of the minor poet John Lee Lewes and Elizabeth Ashweek, and the grandson of comic actor Charles Lee Lewes. -
Beginning of Philosophy Studies
Lewes belonged to a club formed for the study of philosophy, and had sketched out a physiological treatment of the philosophy of the Scottish school. Two years later he went to Germany with the intention of studying philosophy. -
Marriage
Lewes married Agnes Jervis, who was well educated and helped him with many of his works he submitted to magazines and periodicals. They are succeeded by Charles Lee Lewes, Thornton Arnott Lewes, and Herbert Arthur Lewes. -
Writing and Publishing
In 1845-1846 Lewes published The Biographical History of Philosophy,an attempt to depict the life of philosophers. In 1847-1848 he made two attempts in the field of fiction–Ranthrope, and Rose Blanche and Violet. He also attempted to rehabilitate Robespierre in 1849 but made no significant mark. In 1850 he collaborated with Thornton Leigh Hunt and became his editor. In 1853 he republished under the title of Comte’s Philosophy of the Sciences a series of papers which had appeared in that journal. -
Life of Goethe
In 1855, all of Lewes's writing finally paid off. The Life of Goethe was one of his most successful and best known writing. Lewes’s versatility, and his combination of scientific with literary tastes, eminently fitted him to appreciate the wide-ranging activity of the German poet. The work became well-known in Germany itself, despite the boldness of its criticism and the unpopularity of some of its views. -
Scientific Writing
Lewes's writings shifted a little, from philosophy to biological sciences. The most important of these essays are collected in the volumes Seaside Studies (1858), Physiology of Common Life (1859), Studies in Animal Life (1862), and Aristotle, a Chapter from the History of Science (1864). They are much more than popular expositions of accepted scientific truths. They contain able criticisms of authorized ideas, and embody the results of individual research and individual reflection. -
The Fortnightly Review
In 1965, Lewes started The Fortnightly Review. He was editor of this for nearly two years until he was succeeded by John Morley. This Review allowed philosophers and scientists to speak their mind freely without worrying about the critiques of others. -
Death
Lewes died on the November 30th, 1878 and is buried on the eastern side of Highgate Cemetery, immediately behind the grave of George Eliot.