Complex sentence: James Frederick Ferrier (16 June 1808--11 June 1864), Scottish metaphysical writer, was born in Edinburgh, the son of John Ferrier, writer to the signet.
Split into simpler sentences: James Frederick Ferrier (16 June 1808--11 June 1864) was a Scottish metaphysical writer. Ferrier was born in Edinburgh, the son of John Ferrier, writer to the signet.