BURNET, JOHN (1863-1928), Scottish classical scholar, was born at Edinburgh Dec. 6, 1863. Educated at Balliol college, Oxford, he was successively assistant professor of Greek at St. Andrews (1887), assistant master at Harrow (1888-9o) , and Fellow of Merton college, Oxford, until 1892, when he became professor of Greek at St. Andrews.
His Early Greek Philosophy (1892, 3rd. ed. 192o), is impor tant as being the first historical treatment of the pre-Socratics and the first study of the relation between Greek science and early Greek philosophy. He next edited Aristotle's Ethics (1899) and the Dialogues of Plato (19oo–o7) . In his edition of the Phaedo (I 91I) he set forth his theory, later developed in Greek Philo sophy: Thales to Plato (1914), that Plato's own doctrines were not put into the mouth of Socrates but are discoverable in the later dialogues, where Socrates occupies a less important position, and in Aristotle's works. The companion volume to the Phaedo includes the Euthyphro, the Apology and the Crito (1924). Bur net's shorter publications include Higher Education and the War (1917) . He died at St. Andrews on May 26, 1928.