Alexander Bryan Johnson

Philosopher, born in Gosport, Hampshire, S England, UK. He settled in Utica, NY, in 1801, where he enjoyed a successful career in business. He published three philosophical works, The Philosophy of Human Knowledge (1828), A Treatise on Language: or the relation which Words bear to Things (1836), and The Meaning of Words (1854), which can now be seen to anticipate views familiar to the logical positivists and linguistic philosophers of the 20th-c. He also published works on politics, economics, and banking.

Alexander Bryan Johnson (1786–1867) was a notable philosopher and banker. His work was little recognised in his own time, and this remained the case for nearly a century after his death. His work can now be seen to have anticipated the thrust of logical positivism and theories of modern linguistics.