“God is a being who is himself the cause of his own existence. His prerogative is to perceive before there was anything to be perceived. He is the creator of the universe; He operated upon nothing and turned it into something.”

English journalist, political philosopher and novelist

William Godwin was an English journalist, political philosopher, and novelist. He is remembered as an important figure in late 18th and early 19th century political thought, and as an early writer associated with both utilitarianism and anarchism. His work helped shape modern debates about government, individual freedom, and social reform. Godwin wrote as both a thinker and a novelist, and his ideas placed him among the early voices that challenged established political authority.