Simon Blackburn was born on 12 July 1944 and is an English 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.
12 Facts About Simon Blackburn
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Simon Blackburn has appeared in multiple episodes of the documentary series Closer to Truth.
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Simon Blackburn attended Clifton College and went on to receive his bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1965 from Trinity College, Cambridge.
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Simon Blackburn obtained his doctorate in 1969 from Churchill College, Cambridge.
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Simon Blackburn 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.
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Simon Blackburn is a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and a member of the professoriate of New College of the Humanities.
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Simon Blackburn was previously a Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford and has taught full-time at the University of North Carolina as an Edna J Koury Professor.
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Simon Blackburn is a former editor of the journal Mind.
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In 2014 Simon Blackburn published Mirror, Mirror: The Uses and Abuses of Self-Love, focusing on different philosophical aspects of self-love, discussing modern forms and manifestations of pride, amour-propre, integrity or self-esteem through various philosophical frameworks and ideas.
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Simon Blackburn makes occasional appearances in the British media, such as on BBC Radio 4's The Moral Maze.
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Simon Blackburn is a patron of Humanists UK, and when asked to define his atheism, he said he prefers the label infidel over atheist:.
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Simon Blackburn 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.