Simon Blackburn (born 1944) is a British academic philosopher also known for his efforts to popularise philosophy. He is currently Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge University 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. 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... A philosopher is a person devoted to studying and producing results in philosophy. ... The term Philosophy derives from a combination of the Greek words philos meaning love and sophia meaning wisdom. ... The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... Full name The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity Motto Virtus vera nobilitas Virtue is true Nobility Named after The Holy Trinity Previous names - Established 1546 Sister College Christ Church Master Sir Martin Rees Location Trinity Street Undergraduates 656 Graduates 380 Homepage Boatclub The Great Gate is the main... Pembroke College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is the eleventh-oldest institution of higher education and the oldest public university in the United States. ...

He has published some popular books on philosophy, among these being Think (1999), an introduction to philosophy, and Being Good (2001), an introduction to ethics. He also wrote Lust (2004), one book among a series covering the Seven Deadly Sins, and The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy (1994), a dictionary compiled single-handedly. He also makes occasional appearances in the British media, for instance on BBC Radio 4's The Moral Maze. However, unlike other popularisers such as Alain de Botton, he is also a highly respected academic, noted as, among other things, a leading proponent of the Humean tradition in moral philosophy, a former editor of the journal Mind and the inventor of quasi-realism. Among his more serious works are Spreading the Word (1984), a textbook on meaning and truth, and Ruling Passions (1998), an exposition of his Humean ethical theory. 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ethics is a general term for what is often described as the science (study) of morality. In philosophy, ethical behavior is that which is good or right. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, suggest a classification of vices and were enumerated in their present form by Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was formed in 1927 by means of a royal charter. ... Alain de Botton, born in Switzerland in 1969, is a London-based writer. ... David Hume David Hume (April 26, 1711 – August 25, 1776) was a Scottish philosopher and historian and, with Adam Smith and Thomas Reid among others, one of the most important figures in the Scottish Enlightenment. ...

External Links

• Personal website (http://www.phil.cam.ac.uk/~swb24/)
• BBC News story (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3387169.stm)
• Blackburn Essay 'In defence of lust' in The New Statesman (http://www.newstatesman.co.uk/aldaily/2003121502.htm)