caption era school_tradition influences main_interests notable_ideas name birth_date image article_title region
simon philosophy 2009 in tartu , estonia . blackburn giving the gottlob frege lectures in theoretical contemporary philosophy analytic david hume ethics truth quasi-realism simon blackburn 12 july 1944 simon_blackburn_2 . png simon blackburn
 western philosophy
simon blackburn

simon blackburn -lrb- born 12 july 1944 -rrb- 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 .
