Simon Blackburn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Simon Blackburn (born 1944) is a British academic philosopher also known for his efforts to popularise philosophy. He attended Clifton College and went on to receive his bachelor's degree in Moral Sciences (i.e. philosophy) in 1965 from Trinity College, Cambridge. He is currently Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge University, a highly prestigious position formerly held by such philosophers a Elizabeth Anscombe, G.H. Von Wright, Wittgenstein, and G.E. Moore, and a fellow of Trinity College, and has previously held teaching posts at Pembroke College, Oxford and the University of North Carolina as an Edna J. Koury Professor.
In philosophy, he is best-known as the proponent of quasi-realism in metaethics, and as a defender of NeoHumean views on a variety of topics.
He makes occasional appearances in the British media - for instance on BBC Radio 4's The Moral Maze. Unlike other popularisers of philosophy, Blackburn is also a highly respected academic, noted as a leading proponent of the Humean tradition in moral philosophy, a former editor of the journal Mind and the inventor of quasi-realism.
Professor Blackburn is a Vice-President of the British Humanist Association.
[edit] Books
- Reason and Prediction (1973). ISBN 0-521-08742-2.
- Spreading the Word (1984) - a text. ISBN 0-19-824650-1.
- Essays in Quasi-Realism (1993). ISBN 0-19-508041-6 and ISBN 0-19-508224-9.
- The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy (1994) - compiled whole-handedly. ISBN 0-19-211694-0.
- Ruling Passions (1998) - an expose of his theory. ISBN 0-19-824785-0.
- Think (1999) - an introduction to philosophy for beginners. ISBN 0-19-210024-6 and ISBN 0-19-969087-1.
- Being Good (2001) - an introduction to ethics. ISBN 0-19-210052-1.
- Lust (2004) - one of an OUP series covering the Seven Deadly Sins. ISBN 0-19-516200-5.
- Truth: A Guide (2005). ISBN 0-19-516824-0.
[edit] External links
- Personal website
- BBC News story
- Blackburn Essay 'In defence of lust' in The New Statesman
- Philosophy Talk with Blackburn - The Value of Truth
