Inge, William Ralph (1860-1954)

English philosopher and dean of St Paul's in London 1911-1934. As a Christian Platonist and an expert on Plotinus, he believed that self-disciplined prayer admitted the individual to an eternal world of light and peace. As a social commentator, he inclined to rather pessimistic and politically conservative views, and he became known as ‘the gloomy dean’.

Inge was born in Crayke, North Yorkshire. He taught at Eton public school and at Oxford University before joining the church. His works include Christian Mysticism 1899,

Christian Ethics and Modern Problems 1930, and The End of an Age 1948.