Philosophaster

work by Burton

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 23, 2026

Quick Summary

The term "philosophaster" refers to someone who pretends to be a philosopher or dabbles in philosophy without genuine expertise. The adjective "philosophastering" describes acting like a philosopher in a shallow or pretentious manner.12

Robert Burton, an English scholar and writer, authored a Latin comedy titled Philosophaster around 1606. This work is noted for its lively critique of charlatanism and has been compared to Ben Jonson's play The Alchemist. Burton himself was educated at Oxford and became a clergyman, dedicating his life to scholarship. His most famous work is The Anatomy of Melancholy.3

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

6 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Robert Burton
…work was the Latin comedy Philosophaster (1606; edited with an English translation by P. Jordan-Smith, 1931), a vivacious exposure of charlatanism that has affinities with Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist. It was acted at Christ Church in 1618.
Read More
…work was the Latin comedy Philosophaster (1606; edited with an English translation by P. Jordan-Smith, 1931), a vivacious exposure of charlatanism that has affinities with Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist. It was acted at Christ Church in 1618.
Read More