Julian Baggini | |
|---|---|
 Baggini in 2014 | |
| Born | 1968 (age 55–56) Folkestone, Kent, England |
| Alma mater | University of Reading (BA) University College London (PhD) |
| Occupation(s) | Philosopher, writer |
| Website | www |
Julian Baggini (/bəˈdʒiːni/;[1] born 1968) is a philosopher, journalist and the author of over 20 books about philosophy written for a general audience. He is co-founder of The Philosophers' Magazine[2] and has written for numerous international newspapers and magazines. In addition to writing on the subject of philosophy he has also written books on atheism, secularism and the nature of national identity. He is a patron of Humanists UK.
Baggini was born in 1968 in Folkestone, the child of an Italian immigrant father and English mother.[3] He grew up in Kent and was educated at the Harvey Grammar School, Folkestone, from 1980 until 1987.[4] He later attended Reading University and gained a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1990.[5]
In 1996 he was awarded a PhD from University College London for a thesis on the philosophy of personal identity.[6][7]
Baggini is an honorary graduate and honorary research fellow of the University of Kent's department of philosophy.[8]
In 1997 Baggini co-founded The Philosophers' Magazine with Jeremy Stangroom. In 1999 he was a founder of the Humanist Philosophers' Group, then part of the British Humanists Association. He is also a patron of Humanists UK.[9]
In 2009 Baggini was philosopher-in-residence at Wellington College, a public school in Berkshire.[10] In 2012 he was also commissioned by the National Trust to be the philosopher-in-residence for the White Cliffs of Dover where he was required to reflect on the chalk cliffs and their significance to the national identity.[3]
Baggini is a regular columnist for The Guardian newspaper,[11] Prospect magazine,[12] Financial Times and a columnist and book reviewer for The Wall Street Journal.[13] He has also written for New Humanist magazine, The Week, New Statesman, New York Times and Literary Review.[13]
In addition to writing many books about the history and common themes of philosophy, he has also written more generally about the philosophy of food[4] and the nature of 'Englishness'.[14] He speaks regularly at conferences and schools and has frequently spoken out about living without religion, against the teaching in schools of creationism, a loss of reason, which[clarification needed] he asserts is "an enemy of mystery and ambiguity,"[15][verification needed] and the benefits of secular education.[9]
His 2018 book, How The World Thinks: A Global History Of Philosophy received a warm critical reception, with The Scotsman describing it as "ingenious and open-hearted"[16] and the Financial Times a "bold, fascinating book".[17]
In 2019 Baggini was named academic director of the Royal Institute of Philosophy.[8]
He is a member of the British trade union the Society of Authors and also appears in two novels by Alexander McCall Smith in The Sunday Philosophy Club Series.[4]
