George Elder Davie was a prominent Scottish philosopher whose book, The Democratic Intellect (1961), concerns the treatment of philosophy in 19th century Scottish universities.

He was born in Dundee and educated at the High School of Dundee and Edinburgh University, where graduated MA in 1935 with a first class honours degree in Classics.

In 1939 he was appointed assistant lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at Edinburgh University. After the war, he was appointed lecturer in philosophy at Queens University, Belfast where he remained till 1959 when he returned to Edinburgh University as Lecturer. He retired in 1982 and was appointed Reader Emeritus at Edinburgh in 1987.