Simon Blackburn

Simon Blackburn

Simon Blackburn giving the Gottlob Frege Lectures in Theoretical Philosophy 2009 in Tartu, Estonia
Born (1944-07-12) 12 July 1944
Era Contemporary philosophy
Region Western Philosophy
School Analytic
Main interests
Notable ideas
 Quasi-realism
Simon Blackburn's voice
Recorded March 2011 from the BBC Radio 4 programme In Our Time
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Simon Blackburn (born 12 July 1944) is a British academic philosopher known for his work in metaethics, where he defends quasi-realism, and in the philosophy of language; more recently, he has gained a large general audience from his efforts to popularise philosophy. He retired as the professor of philosophy at the University of Cambridge in 2011, but remains a distinguished research professor of philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, teaching every fall semester. He is also a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and a member of the professoriate of New College of the Humanities.[1] He was previously a Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford and has also taught full-time at the University of North Carolina as an Edna J. Koury Professor. He is a former president of the Aristotelian Society, having served the 2009–2010 term. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2002[2] and a Foreign Honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2008.[3]

He has appeared in multiple episodes of the documentary series, Closer to Truth.

Education

Blackburn attended Clifton College and went on to receive his bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1965 from Trinity College, Cambridge. He obtained his doctorate in 1970 from Churchill College, Cambridge.

Life and Views

In philosophy, he is best known as the proponent of quasi-realism in meta-ethics and as a defender of neo-Humean views on a variety of topics. He is a former editor of the journal Mind. He makes occasional appearances in the British media, such as on BBC Radio 4's The Moral Maze. Blackburn was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2007.[4]

As a patron of the British Humanist Association, he has argued against the existence of God, preferring to describe himself as an "infidel" rather than an "atheist".[5] In 2008 The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, which was authored by Blackburn was published. He was one of 55 public figures to sign an open letter published in The Guardian in September 2010, stating their opposition to Pope Benedict XVI's state visit to the UK,[6] and has argued that religionists should have less influence in political affairs.[5] At the same time, he has also argued, in a televised debate, against the claim of "New Atheist" Sam Harris that morality can be derived from science.[7]

Books

References

  1. ↑ https://www.nchum.org/faculty/professor-simon-blackburn
  2. ↑ http://www.britac.ac.uk/fellowship/sections/index.cfm?member=4362
  3. ↑ http://www.cam.ac.uk/news/cambridge-academics-elected-to-american-academy-of-arts-sciences
  4. ↑ "Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter B" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
  5. 1 2 Philosophy Now's interview with Simon Blackburn, November 2013, accessible here
  6. ↑ "Letters: Harsh judgments on the pope and religion". The Guardian. London. 15 September 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8vYq6Xm2To&feature=related

External links

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