Caird Was One Of The First Generation Of British Idealists, Whose Philosophical Work Was Largely In Reaction To The Then-Dominant Empiricist And Associations Views Of Alexander Bain (1818-1903) And J.S. Mill. He Had, However, An Ability Of Literary Expression Which Green Did Not Possess; He Was Also More Inclined To Discuss Questions By The Method Of Tracing The Historical Development Of The Ideas Involved. But While Green Died At The Early Age Of 47, Caird Enjoyed A Relatively Long And Productive Life. It Is, In Part, For This Reason That He Exercised Such A Strong Influence, Particularly On The Relation Of Philosophy And Religion On Later Idealists Such As John Watson (1847-1939) And Bernard Bosanquet (1848-1923). Though Often Considered To Be'Hegelian, Caird Was Arguably More Profoundly Influenced By Kant, Though He Was Far From An Uncritical Reader.