British philosopher who lived from 1900 till 1976. Ryle was one of the founders of analytical philosophy. In 1931 he published ‘Systematically misleading expressions’. This paper, which was written under influence of the logical atomism of Russell and Wittgenstein, reflects his opinion about purpose and method of philosophy and shows how superficial similarities between linguistic utterances can form a source of misconceptions.
In ‘The concept of mind’ (1949), one of the most influential books in analytical philosophy, he opposes Descartes’ views on dualism. According to Ryle dualism was unacceptable cause it saw man as a ‘ghost in the machine’. He pleaded for the view that man was a much more complex being, of which many aspects could be distinguished.