CAIRD, JOHN. – English philosopher and theologian, son of Edward, born at Greenock, Scotland, on 15 Dec. 1820, died on 30 July 1898. He studied at the University of Glasgow, where he later taught theology (having been ordained a Protestant minister in 1845) and of which he subsequently became Vice-Chancellor and “Principal” in 1873.
A scholar of Hegel, he expounded the philosopher’s system in *Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion* (1880) and defended it against the currents of empiricism and scepticism. He also produced an excellent study comparing the doctrines of Spinoza with those of Hegel. His entire activity was devoted to the investigation of religious and theological problems and to the re-evaluation of the fundamental motifs of Christianity.
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