Roger Scruton

Roger Scruton is, among other things, a philosopher, editor, writer, and composer, known for his spirited defence of Western culture. He was named a Senior Fellow of The Trinity Forum in 2006.

Professor Scruton did undergraduate and doctoral studies at Jesus College, Cambridge and has taught philosophy and aesthetics at Christ’s College, Cambridge, Birkbeck College (University of London), and Boston University, as well as holding visiting posts at the Universities of Princeton, Stanford, Louvain, Guelph (Ontario), Witwatersrand (South Africa), Waterloo (Ontario), Oslo, Bordeaux, and Cambridge. He is most recently visiting professor in philosophy at the University of Buckingham and research professor at the Institute for the Psychological Sciences in Arlington, Virginia.

Scruton is not just an academic. He founded the Conservative Philosophy Group, which helped to change the climate of opinion in Britain during the 1970s and 1980s. He is also the co-founder of the Town and Country Forum, devoted to encouraging cross-party discussions over the divide between urban and rural people. He has been an active and decorated supporter of democratic and anti-communist movements in Lebanon and Eastern Europe (particularly the Underground University in the Czech Republic and Slovakia).

He has published more than thirty books, both fiction and non-fiction. His non-fiction covers topics including philosophy and aesthetics, political and cultural commentary, criticism, and country life. Among them are The Meaning of Conservatism, An Intelligent Person’s Guide to Philosophy, An Intelligent Person's Guide to Modern Culture, and News from Somewhere.

From 1982–2000 he was editor of the Salisbury Review. He has written columns for The Times, the Financial Times, and (currently) a wine column the New Statesman. He was founder and director of Claridge Press from 1982–2004, when it became part of the Continuum Publishing Group. He has also presented two full television documentaries.

He has composed two operas, Violet (premiered in 2005) and The Minister (premiered in 1994).

His website is at rogerscruton.com