Fiske, John, 1842–1901, American philosopher and historian, b.
Hartford, Conn. Born Edmund Fisk Green, he changed his name in
1855 to John Fisk, adding the final e in 1860. He opened a law
practice in Boston but soon turned to writing. A wide reader, he
had been an enthusiastic follower of Herbert Spencer while in
college, and the first part of his life was given mainly to
popularizing Spencerian evolution. He tried to reconcile
orthodox religious beliefs with science, both on the lecture
platform and in such books as Outlines of Cosmic Philosophy
(1874, repr. 1969), Darwinism and Other Essays (1879, repr.
1913), Excursions of an Evolutionist (1884), The Idea of God as
Affected by Modern Knowledge (1886), and Through Nature to God
(1899). Early in his career Fiske also achieved popularity as a
lecturer on history and in his later life was occupied mostly
with that field. His historical writings include The Critical
Period of American History, 1783–1789 (1888), The Beginnings of
New England (1889), The America