Region Western Philosophy Role Academic Main interests EthicsTruth | Notable ideas Quasi-realism Name Simon Blackburn Influenced by David Hume | |
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Books Think: A Compelling Introducti, Being Good, The Oxford Dictionary of Philoso, Ethics, Mirror - Mirror: The Uses and Similar People Allan Gibbard, David Hume, R M Hare, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Peter Singer | ||
Simon blackburn arguments about god
Simon Blackburn, FBA (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. 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 and a Foreign Honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2008.
Contents
- Simon blackburn arguments about god
- The Story of Truth by Simon Blackburn at the Nobel Week DIalogue 2017 The Future of Truth
- Education
- Life and views
- Books
- References
He has appeared in multiple episodes of the documentary series Closer to Truth.
The Story of Truth by Simon Blackburn at the Nobel Week DIalogue 2017: The Future of 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.
He is a patron of the British Humanist Association, and when asked to define his atheism, he said he prefers the label "infidel" over "atheist". "Being an infidel, that is, just having no faith, I do not have to prove anything. I have no faith in the Loch Ness Monster, but do not go about trying to prove that it does not exist, although there are certainly overwhelming arguments that it does not." 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, and has argued that religionists should have less influence in political affairs. At the same time, he has also argued, in a televised debate, against the position of author and neuroscientist Sam Harris that morality can be derived from science.