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 was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2002 and a Foreign Honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2008. He is a former president of the Aristotelian Society, having served the 2009–2010 term. 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. He is also a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and a member of the professoriate of New College of the Humanities. 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 obtained his doctorate in 1969 from Churchill College, Cambridge. He attended Clifton College and went on to receive his bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1965 from Trinity College, Cambridge. During his long career, he has taught at Oxford University, Cambridge University, and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.īlackburn was born on 12 July 1944 in Chipping Sodbury, England. He has appeared in multiple episodes of the documentary series Closer to Truth. Simon Blackburn FBA (born 12 July 1944) 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. Problems playing this file? See media help.

Simon blackburn philosophy