Simon Blackburn

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.

Books

 * Reason and Prediction (1973). ISBN 0521087422.
 * Spreading the Word (1984) - a text. ISBN 0198246501.
 * Essays in Quasi-Realism (1993). ISBN 0195080416 and ISBN 0195082249.
 * The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy (1994) - compiled whole-handedly. ISBN 0192116940.
 * Ruling Passions (1998) - an expose of his theory. ISBN 0198247850.
 * Think (1999) - an introduction to philosophy for beginners. ISBN 0192100246 and ISBN 0199690871.
 * Being Good (2001) - an introduction to ethics. ISBN 0192100521.
 * Lust (2004) - one of an OUP series covering the Seven Deadly Sins. ISBN 0195162005.
 * Truth: A Guide (2005). ISBN 0195168240.